Earlier this week, it was announced that four Sooners were selected for All-American teams: Billy Bowman (First Team), Danny Stutsman (Second Team), Nic Anderson (Freshman Team), and Cayden Green (Freshman Team).
All four were incredibly deserving of their honors and OU certainly would not have won 10 games this season without them.
Oklahoma Players Earning Honors and Portal News
Billy Bowman
Bowman was undoubtedly one of the country’s best and most electric defensive players this year. He finished second on the team in tackles and had three tackles for loss, while also tallying six interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. Perhaps the highlight of his season came against BYU when he returned an interception 100 yards for pick-six. His 238 interception return yards also led the country and it’s a shame that he wasn’t at least a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation’s top defensive back.
Bowman now has a big decision to make regarding the NFL Draft. He’s only a junior, so he could elect to return to school, and Oklahoma fans and coaches would be overjoyed to have him return. However, his draft stock is also extremely high right now, so he could determine he’s ready to move on to the next level. Bringing him back has to be a priority for OU because his leadership and level of play would be invaluable to the team as it moves to the SEC next year.
Danny Stutsman
On the same day that Stutsman was elected to the All-American team, he also announced his decision to enter the NFL Draft in a surprising move. As a junior, Stutsman is just 20 years old, but following his superb season, he decided it was best for him to take his talents to the NFL.
Despite being injured against Kansas, Stutsman put together a monster season and finished 24th in tackles nationally. He led the Sooners in that category by a wide margin and also collected 16 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception that he took back for a pick-six.
Stutsman is going to be a real impact player for his next team, which unfortunately leaves Oklahoma with a question mark at middle linebacker. Kip Lewis is his obvious replacement and he played well when filling in for Stutsman. However, he is much smaller than Stutsman, at 6’1”, 208 lbs, and lacks experience as a redshirt freshman. It’s possible that OU could look for a transfer to fill Stutsman’s vacancy, but Lewis taking that role is the likely scenario.
Nic Anderson and Cayden Green
You’d be forgiven if you’d never heard of Cayden Green, Oklahoma’s star right guard. The true freshman from Lee’s Summit, Missouri stepped in at guard in the Red River game and never gave up his spot. He was phenomenal for an OU line coming off a down year, and his future looks as bright as can be.
Simply put, Nic Anderson was a star for the Sooners this year. Prior to the season, the receiving corps looked questionable, but Anderson and Drake Stoops turned it into one of OU’s best position groups by the end of the year.
Anderson’s final line was 31 catches for 725 yards and nine touchdowns. He led the nation in yards per reception with 23.4 and was the definition of a deep threat. The redshirt freshman should only continue to improve and will be one of the offense’s best players going into next season.
Transfer Portal Updates
Since the initial wave of departures, the Sooners have not had any other players enter the portal. They did, however, have a player commit to them already. Spencer Brown, an offensive tackle from Michigan State, announced he would be transferring to Oklahoma on Wednesday.
Brown is a former three-star recruit who was seen as one of the best offensive linemen in the portal, giving OU an important win early on in this transfer window. With Walter Rouse and Tyler Guyton moving on to the NFL, expect Brown to be heavily competitive for a starting tackle job next season.
Main Image: BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
