Oklahoma transfer portal team breakdown

Year 1 for Brent Venables didn’t go exactly as desired at Oklahoma, with the Sooners struggling through the middle of the season before scrapping to a 6-7 final record. Thus, the Sooners mined the transfer portal ahead of what those in Norman are hoping is a much more fruitful 2023 season.

All told, the Sooners were among the busier teams in the transfer market for the 2023 class. Oklahoma brought in 13 new faces while another 16 departed — a total of 29 players coming or going. It was enough turnover with solid pieces coming in for the Sooners transfer class to rank No. 21 in the On3 2023 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings.

With some top-notch high school recruits coming in alongside this crop of transfers, there’s plenty of reason to expect better things from Oklahoma in 2023.

Breaking down the 2023 Oklahoma transfer portal class

National rank: No. 21

Transfers in: 13 (T-7th)

Transfers out: 16 (T-17th)

Biggest loss: LB Clayton Smith transferred to Arizona State

A former five-star recruit in the Class of 2021, Smith never really got things going at Oklahoma amid positional and coaching changes. He played some as a defensive lineman with his hand in the dirt and as a standup edge rusher, too. It never really panned out with the Sooners and after just seven career appearances, the highly-talented sophomore jumped to the Sun Devils.

Biggest arrival: EDGE Dasan McCullough, Indiana

Venables — who has a defensive coordinator background — added plenty on the defensive talent but perhaps none as exciting as McCullough. As a true freshman for Indiana in 2022, McCullough was a force. He played in all 12 games and had 6.5 tackles for loss, including four sacks. He also batted down three passes. With physical talent, production against Power 5 opponents and plenty of eligibility left, McCullough could be a stalwart on the Oklahoma defense for a few years now.

Other notable Oklahoma transfers in

OL Walter Rouse, Stanford: With two tackles leaving for the NFL, some proven reinforcements were warranted. Rouse, who originally came to Stanford in the Class of 2019, is just that. A four-star transfer prospect per On3, Rouse is a little physically light, but brings four years of top-level experience.

EDGE Rondell Bothroyd, Wake Forest: Based solely on the number of edge rushers Venables brought in, getting after the opposing quarterback seems to be a priority. After mostly waiting for his turn for three years with Wake Forest, Bothroyd exploded in 2021 with 16.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. In 26 games the past two seasons, he has 24.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.

EDGE Trace Ford, Oklahoma State: The rare Bedlam transfer, Ford had a promising first two seasons with the Cowboys before he missed the 2021 season with an injury. He had been a highly disruptive and moderately productive pass rusher and edge defender, tallying 8.5 tackles for loss in 21 games his first two seasons. In nine games last season, he had three tackles for loss and one sack. If Ford can stay on the field and recapture his form, he can be a dangerous edge rusher for the Sooners.

TE Austin Stogner, South Carolina: A familiar name for Oklahoma faithful. Stogner left Oklahoma after the 2021 season and went with quarterback Spencer Rattler to South Carolina. But after one year there, Stogner is back in Norman with the Sooners. He’s been a productive player all four years he’s played college football and should slot in to the passing attack cleanly.

WR Andrel Anthony, Michigan: The flashes Anthony showed in 2021 — namely a two-touchdown performance against Michigan State — set up some high hopes and expectations in 2022. Anthony, for whatever reason, failed to live up to them. A versatile pass catcher at 6-foot-2, Anthony has the upside to be a prominent piece of a strong passing offense, but he needs to harness the talent he flashed as a true freshman.