Crimson Countdown: No. 99 Markus Strong
The Crimson Countdown is officially on for the 2025 Oklahoma football season. Everybody wants to forget about 2024 and move forward.
Head coach Brent Venables and staff have attempted to do that. New face calling the offense (Ben Arbuckle). Venables calling the defense, it’s now or never for this regime at OU in the SEC. No beating around the bush.
Every day as we get closer to kickoff, SoonerScoop.com will count down the days with you. Starting with No. 99 and working our way to No. 0, we’ll be there every step of the way.
Crimson Countdown: No. 99 Markus Strong
2024 stats: Two games, two tackles, two sacks
2025 outlook:
You want to believe this is a season where Strong can start to make an impression. Take a look at his frame, and there is a whole lot to like. But there are a lot of guys ahead of him at the moment.
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It will be intriguing to see if things start clicking for Strong, and he can be more than just a mop-up duty sort of player. His name was mentioned in the spring, but obviously, he’ll have to find a lot more consistency.
Strong has been a program guy, but if he can be more in 2025, it would give OU yet another piece to that ever-growing defensive tackle puzzle.
2025 defensive tackle outlook
The biggest storyline of the post-spring portal window was with David Stone. Entering on a Friday night and removing himself two days later by Sunday afternoon. With Stone locked up, you’ve got a quartet that should be incredibly impressive. Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton have been around the block a time or two. And here comes Stone along with Jayden Jackson to grow up and become monsters in the middle. OU has some depth around them as well, like adding Ricky Lolohea, but this group is going to be about what this foursome does. How good they can become? And how quickly it all happens.
