College Football

Oklahoma Football: Three Biggest Offseason Questions

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:59 p.m. ET

Fansided, Chip Rouse/FanSided via Stormin in Norman

When the Oklahoma football team opens the 2017 season, it will do so riding a 10-game winning streak and with one of the college game’s premier quarterbacks.

Generally speaking, that’s enough to get you a top-ten and even as high as a top-five ranking in the preseason polls, but after that you have to go out and earn it. That’s something the 2016 edition of Bob Stoops Sooners were unable to do in the first month of the season.

Oklahoma rebounded from a dreadful 1-2 start that knocked them from the No. 3 position in both the preseason Associated Press and Coaches polls completely out of the top-25. After being humbled at home by 21 points by eventual College Playoff team Ohio State, the Sooners’ regrouped and went on to reel off nine consecutive regular-season wins and a Big 12 championship and capped off the season with a convincing Sugar Bowl victory over Auburn.

The Sooners were one of the hottest teams in college football at the end of last season, but unfortunately their early struggles cost them a spot and a second straight appearance in the College Football Playoff.

That’s all water under the bridge now, though, with the big question going forward being: What are you going to do for us next season?

College football has the shortest regular season of all of the major sports, with only a 12- or 13-game regular season plus, if you are fortunate enough to win half of your games, a postseason bowl appearance. We are still eight months away from the start of the 2017 season. While it may be offseason as far as the college football fan is concerned, Stoops and other college coaches can attest that the work goes on for a good part of the year, even though no games are being played.

For example, we are now in the homestretch of the college recruiting season, heading toward the finish line known as National Signing Day, when all of the prior commitments become final.

That is followed by spring practice sessions and organized training activities in March and early April and unsupervised strength and conditioning activities throughout the summer months. Over the summer, the coaching staff begins formalizing its planning and preparation for the fall season.

Looking ahead to the 2017 college football season from a fan’s perspective, here are three big question marks facing Bob Stoops and the Sooners:

Oct 11, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops (left) and head coach Bob Stoops signals from the sidelines against the Texas Longhorns during the Red River showdown at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

How to Get back to the Strong Defensive Presence of Earlier Bob Stoops’ Teams

Bob Stoops has been blessed during his time at Oklahoma with some of college football’s highest-scoring and most prolific offenses. His forte, however, throughout his playing days and as a college coach has been defense. As a defensive coordinator at both Kansas State and Florida, he has helped recruit and develop several of the best defensive units in the country. His 2000 Oklahoma national championship team was a strong offensive team, but the national championship was won by an even stronger defensive performance.

In recent seasons, the Sooners have had to rely on outscoring opponents because the defense was too inconsistent stopping the run, and even more vulnerable against the passing game. Toward the end of the 2016 season, OU showed improvement on defense, and it has a solid core of starters returning next season, including All-Big 12 performer cornerback Jordan Thomas, safety Steven Parker, and linebackers Ogbonnia “Obo” Okoronkwo and Caleb Kelly.

Of Oklahoma’s 24 verbal commitments to the 2017 recruiting class, 10 are defensive players, including four linebackers and three defensive backs. Seven of the 10 are rated as four-star prospects and one is a five-star. The Sooners are also one of about four teams that are heavily recruiting defensive tackle Marquise Brown, a five-star prospect who is expected to announce his choice on National Signing Day on Feb. 1.

Oct 17, 2015; Manhattan, KS, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Jeffery Mead (15) misses a catch against Kansas State Wildcats defensive backs Duke Shelley (8) and Kaleb Prewett (4) during the Sooners 55-0 win at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Who Will Be Baker Mayfield’s Go-To Receiving Target Next Season?

The season before last, it was Sterling Shepard making phenomenal pass-receiving plays. This past season, Dede Westbrook did him one better and was rewarded with the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in college football. Both are now gone, so who will step up and become the next Oklahoma big-time receiver, which they will desperately need if the Sooners are going to continue to be as effective and dangerous throwing the ball as they have been the past several seasons under offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley?

Oklahoma loses its top three receivers from 2016. The Sooners return the No. 4 receiver, TE Mark Andrews, who was on the receiving end of 31 passes last season, seven of which were for touchdowns. Senior Jeffery Mead and junior Nick Basquine will be expected to play a larger role in the passing game. Basquine caught 20 passes, two for TDs, and averaged over 16 yards per catch last season. Mead played and increasing role toward the end of the season. He finished with 10 catches and three touchdowns and averaged 15 yards per catch.

Jordan Smallwood and 6-foot, 4-inch wide receiver Dahu Green also should see more playing time in 2017, as well.

Three future prospects to keep an eye on as early as next season are incoming freshmen receivers Marquise Brown, Cedarian Lamb and Charleston Rambo. All three are four-star recruits, according to Rivals.com. Brown is from California and Lamb and Rambo hail from Texas.

Nov 12, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) jumps over Baylor Bears cornerback Ryan Reid (9) during the second half at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Replacing the Best Running Back Duo in College Football

Oklahoma career rushing leader Samaje Perine and sophomore Joe Mixon, Oklahoma’s leading ground-gainer last season with 1,000 yards, have both declared for the NFL, so it’s back to square one for the Sooners as far as the running game next season. It will be extremely difficult to replace the over 2,400 combined rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns produced in 2016 by Perine and Mixon, not to mention five receiving touchdowns and xx catches for xx receiving yards by Mixon alone.

OU does have talent at the position, but it is relatively unproven.

Redshirt sophomore-to-be Abdul Adams saw limited action in 2016, but the Sooners coaches are very high on his running ability. Adams ran for 283 yards this past season on 53 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per rush. Rodney Anderson is a burner, but he has suffered season-ending injuries in the past two seasons. It is uncertain how he will rebound from his injuries, but he has only seen action in two games since his true freshman season in 2015.

The Sooners have three running backs among the 24 commitments that are currently part of the Oklahoma 2017 recruiting class: Kennedy Brooks, Trey Sermon and Marcelias Sutton are all four-star running back prospects.