Much difference has been made about the difference in recruiting at the University of Oklahoma since Brent Venables took on. The Sooners have had three top-10 classes during Venables’ tenure. The biggest difference may be on the defensive side of the ball, where Oklahoma has added three five-star prospects in the last two cycles in Adepoju Adebawore, Peyton BowenIt is David Pedra.
Despite the transition from Lincoln Riley for Jeff Lebby and now Seth Literellthe Sooners also remained adept at recruiting top-tier offensive talent.
While recruiting has certainly picked up, Oklahoma will look to four players from Riley’s latest 2021 recruiting class to lead the way. But at this point it’s safe to say these are Venables’ guys.
From an autograph class led by Caleb Williams, Billy Bowman, Ethan Downs, Jalil FarooqIt is Danny Stutsman are leading the way for the Sooners in 2024.
Bowman, Downs and Stutsman were not recruited by Venables, but remained with the defensive coach after he took over in December 2021. All three were instrumental in Oklahoma’s annual turnaround from 2022 to 2023. Although the three defensive stars are in their third defensive coordinator for four seasons and remain committed to the vision presented by Venables and his team. And each has shown improvement each season under their head coach.
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Farooq, who had a strong relationship with Williams (they both played football in the DMV area on the East Coast), remained with the Sooners despite working with their third-ranked offensive player and fourth-ranked head coach in four seasons.
In this modern era of college football, many coaching changes would send any number of players into the transfer portal. However, they became key players for Oklahoma and leaders upon joining the SEC. This group of players may have been recruited by Riley and his team, but it’s clear that Bowman, Downs, Farooq and Stutsman are Venables’ guys.
“We saw the best version of Jalil Farooq, which is what you want. Your best players, so to speak, will always be your best workers, best leaders,” Venables said during spring ball. “So far, through the first part of winter and spring, Jalil has been like this.”
Each has taken on a leadership role on and off the field for the Sooners. They performed reliably and each contributed significantly to Oklahoma’s 10-win season in 2023. In particular, all four guys played a big part in the Sooners’ win over Texas.
Farooq led Oklahoma in receiving that day with five catches for 130 yards. He also had three carries for 13 yards and two kickoff returns for 37 yards. Downs had two sacks of Quinn Ewers against the vaunted Texas offensive line. Bowman had 11 total tackles, separated Ja’Tavion Sanders from the football near the goal line, leading to a Kendal Dolby interception, and made a big stop of Xavier Worthy on fourth-and-goal at the one-yard line. Stutsman had nine total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Stutsman was an emotional leader that day and also made a huge impact at Oklahoma’s legendary goal line stand.
Bowman and Stutsman had opportunities to go to the NFL this offseason, but took a broader approach to their playing careers and opted for one more season with the Sooners. Downs and Farooq have done nothing but improve during their time under Venables, and both players will look to build on the strong seasons they had a year ago.
As much as the transfer portal provides an influx of talent, the Sooners want to progress through the high school recruiting ranks. In a developmental game, the four four-star prospects in the 2021 recruiting class exemplify loyalty and trust in the process.
As the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for their first season in the SEC, Jalil Farooq, Ethan Downs, Billy Bowman and Danny Stutsman will lead the way.
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