Sooners Illustrated Podcast Ep. 105 | OU lands Michael Fasusi + Oklahoma 2024 roster superlatives

what's going on everybody it is that time again the Sooners Illustrated podcast episode 105 on this Thursday August 22nd 2024 eight days from the opener a week from tomorrow Josh Callaway Colin keny with you on a Thursday Oklahoma got a pretty big recruit commit yesterday you may have heard about it we'll talk about it the ramifications what's next in that 2025 class as it starts to wind down the high school season about to start the senior season for those guys and col and I have some roster superlatives we're going to get into today as well most approved Team MVP impact freshman stuff like that we got some fun picks and uh we'll go through the roster a little bit uh on the program as well disclaimer if you can hear any Lawn Equipment apologies in advance got some guys working on my yard right outside this window here so we'll try and avoid that I'll mute myself I'm not talking we'll let Colin do the heavy lifting and uh also some programming note as well looking ahead to next week which will be our first game week very excited for that um the Brent Venable press conference which is going to be on Tuesdays again this season is going to be on Monday next week because of the the kense week so watch out for that on Monday on the YouTube channel and then we'll have player interviews that night and then James Tom myself will do our full season preview final predictions that'll be on Tuesday so that's looking ahead uh to next week a little bit so without further Ado Colin Michael fusi committed Oklahoma yesterday we were waiting for it here it is it finally happened you were there break it all down for us man massive G obviously for Oklahoma this is in my opinion the guy that Oklahoma wanted in the 2025 recruiting cycle this was priority number one I don't think there was a 1B or a onec when you look at this cycle I I think it goes back to really when we launched this site and roughly two years ago I returned to Lewisville Texas and drove right down the street I believe I had been back on the Oklahoma beat for about four days five days and went over to see Michael fusi and when I pulled up that guy was wearing an Oklahoma glove and talking to Jaden Hardy some of those guys at the time who were teammates with Michael fusi it was very clear that Oklahoma was the primary player for him that early on in his Recruitment and talking to Mike after practice he made it very apparent bill banbo was the coach in college football that was after him the heaviest across the country and I think at that time there were a lot of other schools who whether or not they realized at the time they were gonna have to play catchup now this one had a lot of es and flows I'm sure we'll dive into that but as we sit here and Oklahoma is cross the finish line it became a little bit more of a neck-and-neck race certainly saw some changes but almost in a theatric finish Oklahoma gets its five-star offensive tackle and a guy they really really wanted out of this year yeah it's hard to overstate I mean the guy is the highest rated recruit in the class now um we were talking about we IAL we joked about it last week we talked about Michael fusi for over a year and trying to artic UL at the impact that this kind of guy can have on your team and you know what a win for Bill Bebo who has had you know I'm sure for him a frustrating off season where there was we talk about the offensive line it feels like every show since the end of last season because of all the turnover and everything but when you look at this class with Michael fusi Ryan fogi who's very well thought of and then darus safala Owen Hollenbeck to go with the Freshman crop he just brought in Eddie Pier L Eugene Brooks Daniel akumi Isaiah autrey uh Josh isosa and then you you know looping the class before that those Rising guys with Jake seon Jake Taylor Logan Howland like I talked about it last week but it feels like we are very close okoma getting back to that 2017 2018 Joe moard level offensive lines play I mean very very soon um bill binbo is stacking this thing up this is recruiting class several in a row now and it's hard overstate to get uh certainly bringing in the guy like Michael fusi that could have went basically anywhere and um I mean yeah it's it's hard like I said it's you really can't be hyperbolic enough for how big of an addition it is um from your perspective the job that bill Bebo just did in this offensive line group now that he's put together it feels like one of the best I'm hesitant I mean I'm scared to say but is it the best maybe offensive line group that bill beo recruited at Oklahoma I mean it's it's really really strong I mean if it's not the best it's top two or three I don't think there's much of an argument now here's what I want to say I think we knew going in to this recruiting cycle specifically and again like we started covering this cycle when they were Rising Juniors so before the start of their junior season our site really kind of dove into the coverage of the 2025 class and I think everyone kind of OD the the quiet part of 2025 which was you've got to nail the offensive line hall because coming off 2024 we know all the talk about line of scrimmage play Oklahoma's moving into the SEC Bren venables Todd Bates Miguel Chavis they do their thing in 2024 they get a number of guys that we may be getting ready to talk about here later in the show along that defensive line whether in the portal or obviously on the recruiting Trail and so from 2024 where it was so defensive line Centric into 2025 this class was all about the offensive line for Bill beatbo in my opinion I I don't know how many times I've talked about this here on the show but I think it's so relevant when I came back you would talk to Michael fusi Tai Haywood Lamont Rogers so many of these Elite offensive tackles especially down here in the state of Texas and at that time when they were Rising Juniors they would all say the same thing bill banbo in Oklahoma that's the program and the coach I'm hearing from the most Bill bbo did his thing he was out in front of this obviously recruiting a f-star offensive tackle it's really hard just to get one but number one for Bill banbo to not only have Oklahoma in so many of these races but then number two close on the guy that I would argue they wanted the most out of that crop it's it's an outstanding job and the other part too that I kind of mentioned in some of the articles that I published this wasn't just one of those where Bill Bebo got out in front and Oklahoma carried the lead the rest of the way no in fact one thing we talked about when I went over to see Mike for his commitment announcement like the Texas smoke was very very real obviously there were a number of predictions in that sort of favored him to land with the Longhorns and I can tell you there for a few months that kind of felt like like a foregone conclusion but Bill banbo kept chipping away Texas I think was very relevant but the thing that we go back to so often with Bill is that relational aspect and the trust that he builds yeah and so one thing Michael fusi talked about Josh afterwards was it it was really that official visit in Norman for him that he felt like he wanted to seal the deal in fact he actually admitted he was very close to committing to Oklahoma on his OV in Norman but he checked out Texas and this is one of the primary points I want to make as I mentioned in those stories Bill Bebo got out in front he dealt with some serious pushes from other bigname programs in this region who have a lot of resources and Josh I'm here to tell you contrary to popular belief what you see on some of these social media takes Texas and A&M really really wanted this guy sure talk sources while I was at the announcement both of those schools were very heavily involved down the stretch in the few days or week leading up to this announcement but I think it's it sends a message to your your question about Bill banbo that no matter how hard A&M or Texas or other programs tried to turn the ties late Michael fusi stayed put and he kept his mind on the idea that he wanted to play for for Bill beatbo in Oklahoma and so you got to give this guy a ton of credit again to get priority one in this cycle at a time where this class was going to be judged based on the offensive line hall that you were going to get I mean it's it's a home run and I can't speak enough about the job that bill binbo did with a guy who I firmly believe he's going to be able to turn into his next big- time first round pick yeah I agree completely and you know there's lots of you know great content certainly from Colin on the website um on C show right now about Michael tusi and the impact of it one thing um you know from our own Mike roach whenever he committed that stuck out to me was a quote from Michael about Coach Bebo and just he just you could just from the words you could tell the you know um reverence I guess he has for coach beatbo and what he's done how many guys he's developed and put in the league so this is a this is a give your flowers moment and it was it was Bilbo's birthday yesterday too yeah so not a bad birthday gift um certainly I would say and you know like we talked about a bunch of times these Elite offensive tackles just don't grow on trees they're not available in the portal generally speaking uh which we talked about before you have I mean to win at a high level you have to find a way to get guys like like this and Oklahoma did it and the recruiting in general continues to just kind of have that upward trajectory it's a huge G huge get yeah so I I want to talk real quick two things briefly that you brought up number one the day I just want to talk about Michael the person that announcement folks like it it was really cool being there for those who don't know August 21st and I wrote a story about this it was not only going to be his decision he kind of knew that's around the time he wanted to make the call but part of that being he wanted to make his college commitment on the day August 21st 2024 was five years to the date that Michael and the fusi family moved from Nigeria to America and took that leap of faith right and I mean it's just incredible like in the story he talked about how he moved to the states with his family he had no idea that American Football was even a thing he just Googled American football and searched football game and watched it and was like yeah I want to play this I could probably do that yeah and five years later he's a five star and so number one he gets to celebrate his family and honor his family and what they did in in moving to America and and having that massive life change it was very cool to see him sort of tip his cap to his parents Bill Beano's birthday it all just like it lined up perfectly and I thought it was really cool that Michael fusi was like yeah I kind of knew all of this was going to align and I felt like it wasn't coincidence it was fate for me to make this call with Bill Beano's birthday and my family's anniversary of my move to America and everything that was awesome but then like you mentioned too the the the caliber of player and relative to a need like this is an elite player in person in a premium position at a time where Oklahoma's transitioned into the SEC I wrote in one of my stories this is your franchise left tackle folks this is the guy that's Manning The Blind Side for you in the Southeastern Conference and we talk about the player this guy's got what just under an 84 inch wingspan the guy tests combine and athletically out the Wazoo multiple 50 feet throws in shot putt and he has Josh he has no idea what he's doing yet on the football field like he is not even close to his ceiling as a football player and that's just because of how new he is to this sport but I wrote about it in the analysis piece like you're talking about a guy who we have ranked as a five star because he checks every box athletically I believe his just under 32 in vertical jump was the most by a 290 plus pounder or second most over the last several years like this guy breaks records basically at his size we're also talking about a player who's gonna get to Oklahoma and not only be your quote unquote franchise left tackle but the marriage with Bill binbo this partnership this guy's gonna literally learn about the game with football from the best offensive line coach in the country and if you sit down and think about that that only furthers what this guy could become and what he's going to look like in an Oklahoma uniform it's very exciting U has every reason to be thrilled with this addition and I I I think that goes into this equation as well as like this is obviously a big get but we haven't even seen remotely close to the best version of Michael fusi and that version is probably going to be realized under Bill Bebo and Norman great get perfect fit I'm sure the uh we can probably Bank on his uh roommate Sean Hutton probably very uh excited future roommate um Sean was sweating dude he he came up to me he was like what are you hearing what are you thinking I he was actually for those who don't know Sean Hutton the preferred walk on offensive line commit for Oklahoma he was the one holding the phone for Michael fi's Instagram live some horns Downs I was watching he was like I'm so nervous I'm gonna drop the phone no matter what Mike says so he got through it too it was a it was a nerve-wracking day I'm sure for everybody but Sean Hutton tip of the cap to him too man he he helped out in this recruitment a ton and I know he's very excited about having Mike come with him to OU 100% so obviously joh normous get um as you wrote yesterday on soon as Illustrated he's the 23rd commit he moves Oklahom into the top eight right now in our 247 Sports uh class rankings so I guess the next obvious question natural question is what's next slash left in 2025 um like we said senior seen for these guys are just getting ready to start a lot of these dudes I'm sure this played in a part for Michael as well like to have this done before their senior season starts um but there's a couple names still hanging out there what's left for Oka fans to pay attention to before signing day in December for this 25 class RL which again already has 23 guys in but there's still a couple spots left to play with if they wanted yeah first things first you got to hold on to this guy sure right you just get a five star and I don't know if if those other contenders are going way but I I think that's that's Priority One is now that you have the five star kid the perfect fit for you on and off in the field you better make sure that you get that pen to paper come December but I I I I do wantan to I do want to lead off this discussion Josh with kind of that real quick obviously what's next is you try and hold on to your five star guy I personally believe Michael fusi is gonna be pretty much locked in the rest of the way so if we take that concept relatively out of the way there's a few different ways you can go here I I want to start with Christian Jones the four-star linebacker out of the state of Nebraska we kind of know that this one is essentially down to OU and the instate Huskers I'm supposed to be hopefully talking to Christian we' swapped a couple texts back and forth this week but I think we're going to try and get an interview scheduled so that again I hope will be up on soonersillustrated decom for our subscribers but but I personally feel that's the guy right now that Oklahoma is going to go after the hardest yeah the remainder of the way we know this is a linebacker Centric staff Bren venes Zack allly skolski so many other members of this staff they they're linebacker guys and Christian Jones is is kind of that remaining outlier if you will so I'm very interested to see what happens there I think Christian Jones right now kind of tracking for a decision if not in the fall to winter it could be as early as within the month so yeah we'll see a lot of variables there next thing our own Blair and gulo who does a great job he kind of dropped a report that I think shocked a lot of people on the Oklahoma beat but it is very relevant so we talked so much about the offensive line right Blair reported believe First in the industry too to report that Austin pay the offensive tackle offensive guard out in the state of Utah he is still very much in talks with u and Bill Bebo and is actually potentially looking at getting to U in the fall for a visit I can't remember if he said it's an official visit or not I'll have to go back and look at at Blair's story and I would encourage fans to do so as well but Austin pay and and U are still very much in talks now I I do want to add some context here too why I think this is important I think a lot of people will go well Colin what sense does that make shouldn't this o line class in 2025 be done to that I would say sure I mean you're running out of spots on paper yeah but to my knowledge Austin pay might be going on a mission uh so that takes him potentially out of the equation for whichever program where to land him for roughly two years and so who knows if this guy is perceived as a potential 2027 take right how does Oklahoma handle that situation remains to be seen but that's someone who could get on campus and all of a sudden become a priority Target down the stretch for U in 2025 and then the last thing I want to say I think that again the offensive line stuff is such a hot button topic within this cycle It's tricky because we're talking about number one a name in five star Andrew babalola who depending on who you talk to you get a differing level of reate on Oklahoma's standing within that recruitment I don't know that U's done with that one so we'll kind of see what takes place over the next few weeks obviously there are a number of programs that at one point or another have felt very good about their positioning with babalola and his family so we'll see I think Oklahoma's still kind of hovering around there with the five star and if you somehow find a way to cover ground there Josh I mean I that's that's about as good as it gets for considering you would potentially be able to swing a babalola Edition with fusi and Ryan FJ the last thing I want to say and this is just me but Little Nugget I personally and this is not reflective of anything I've heard in Oklahoma this just me covering the ground that I cover if I were OU if I were in that office I'd be saying hey if we want another offensive lineman why not give a quick call to Lamont Rogers now that's there's a lot of layers to that but basically Michael fusi and LaMont Rogers really got got to know each other over the course of this recruiting process I know that Mike had told me a time or two that no matter where he was going to end up one guy that he would really like to call and kind of see whether or not he'd be interested in joining him is is Lamont but then we also know that and I've talked about this here on the show so I'm not sharing any Earth shattering information we also know that many expect a quote unquote second recruitment for Lamont Rogers if you will during the fall does U enter the mix I think you had fusi and if you're you still think Lamont Rogers could be the player that he has the ceiling to become with fusi in your corner man I may be worth a phone call so that's kind of how I see 2025 as it stands today and the last thing I want to add who knows if another name pops up a a late senior eval right maybe one Domino doesn't fall in Oklahoma's Direction and they identify a player late that they really like I don't necessarily think that's out of the equation either so I think there's a lot still kind of left on the bone even though a lot of it's unknown in 2025 cool I mean yeah a lot of very you know kind of interesting story lines names to keep an eye on in that 25 class as their again their senior seasons are just about to get going all across the country so a few things to keep an eye on there um but yeah Michael vusi the Saga hopefully over like you said you think feel good about about it but uh until he signs you know everybody will be you know a little nervous I guess but massive hit obviously for Oklahoma all let's do some Roser superlatives uh on the way out here got a few things you know we're kind of looking ahead they play a game a week from tomorrow which is crazy amazing it it's it just feels so good you know Tom and I were kind of texting yesterday kind of planning out the week and you know it's amazing how how easy it is to pull up a week of content when there's a game uh it's like wow this is so much better this is so exciting it's amazing to feel that we got a game coming up next week um so yeah we'll do a few superlatives here we're going to go through the roster some things some kind of story lines names that we're going to watch for let's start with breakout candidate um so this is obviously a little subjective as to what you consider a breakout few of these are subjective I guess I'll start um the name that jumped out to me right away when we were doing this and I hope I don't steal yours was our Mason Thomas uh defensive ums like he was the most obvious name for this um yeah as a breakout candidate uh you know he just feels like a guy if he remains healthy and that's the question mark with him really is remaining healthy he's gonna put up big numbers um he's gonna probably start opposite of Ethan DS I would imagine um and they'll rotate you there's a lot of guys we just did the position preview for defensive ends there's a lot of guys with Kaden Ward and PJ and Trace Ford is still there and the Freshman but you got to figure AR Mason's going to get his snaps and he is just ready to explode at any moment so I would lean him as probably the number one breakout can and you can even he so if you want to just roll with our Mason that's fine if you have another name though that's also fine I I I don't know if we talked about it enough but what I was going to say first of all congrats on the the first overall pick you definitely capitalized on the opportunity but what I was gonna say is like I don't know that I get to talk enough about kind of my man crush for rason Thomas yeah like I I just think the world of him and I think you and I were at at one of U's summer camps together covering the recruiting side and R Mason was one of the the camp counselors for lack of term I think we just turned to each other and we're like man he he looks like he's ready to go and so I I was a huge fan of his when Oklahoma kind of swept in there late and snuck him away in that and and I just I feel like there are a lot of people and talking to sources that they think Armon Thomas has always had breakout K and it stuff it's just about him having the opportunity to go and do so and it sounds like he's gonna have every chance yeah to go be the player I think we all think he can be so I had a couple other names on my list and folks why I love this draft type of format and I think a lot of our listeners do like it as well as I I I have to react live there are two players really three players that I want to name here Josh so I'll rattle off real quickly the two that I I'm thinking about but then my selection at the end and you can talk about any of these guys if you want to kind of round it out or maybe even give an honorable mention um I'm looking at Robert spars Jennings I'm looking at pyton Bowen I'm looking at my guy speaking of man crushes I think people know Kip Lewis I think is going to be yeah with you capital the dog this season now being above the 220 pound threshold but the guy I'm going to take is someone who in my opinion and I think you know the reporting that you and I have had on Fall Camp I think you could Echo the sentiment I think when you're talking breakout candidates if rason Thomas is the guy on defense Bowers Sharp's the guy on offense for me yeah I think there are a lot of folks at Oklahoma right now and outside the program I've had folks here in Texas in the high school level who get to go see Oklahoma and practices talked about man what do you know about bow sharp and I shared this this nugget too on the show when I went to the Personnel Symposium and got to talk to a lot of power four Personnel coordinators and DPP guys I couldn't tell you the number of times I was asked about Bowers sharp specifically in my opinion we know what Oklahoma needed at the tight end spot they went got two dudes who as someone who covered Seth Latrell when he was in north Texas I know he's someone who wants to throw some 12 Personnel out there he wants to get his tight ends the ball but he also specifically kind of likes different role players at those tight end positions one guy who's more the two-point agback traditional blocker type and I think that's your Jake Roberts yeah but breakout candidates usually in the general public are getting the ball B Sharp I think's going to get the ball and what he does with it could be pretty special from everything we've been told so I'm going to take Bowers sharp and I feel really good about it because I think arguably this might be the name on that offensive side of the ball that people are talking about the most as someone who they're not only very I don't want to say surprised but overly pleased with and excited to see what he can do this season with you completely you know I the only other one I can maybe would throw in for me would be and I just talked on the other day but I'm I I've been a huge Lewis Carter fan um from the moment I first saw that Tampa Catholic tape um him and Samuel Migo both um you know if they get some run and I think they will um they got guys that they obviously have Danny and and like you said Kip Lewis is prepared for a huge year you have those other year three guys with Kobe McKenzie and Jaren knck but if samel M and Lewis Carter get their opportunity and I think they very well might samel Migo playing some cheetah that they feel like they could very well make the most of it those guys are both freaks um yeah those are big ones for me I'll let you start with the next one yeah go for it next up snake draft style here I'm sticking with the next pick and our upcoming topic is impact freshman for Oklahoma coming out of fall camp and I think there's some intriguing ways you could go about this but I'm gonna take the layup here because you you went defense you took the layup pick our Mason Thomas I'm gonna kind of do something similar and pick Jaden Jackson yeah let me put it this way is Jaden Jackson starting for Oklahoma in week one at defensive tackle nose tackle yeah he's in the mix Embrace debate he is he has not only come in and when he enrolled early and got on campus and I mean we started hearing about him what you you and I Josh started hearing about him from sources when he was there for the Bowl practices like they this dude's different he carried that momentum from Bowl practices into Spring ball through summer workouts and now here we are today and through fall Camp how often are we talking about a freshman being someone not only making plays and showing flashes of dominance but being someone who can show that consistently at the defensive tackle spot right like it's hard for freshman at some of those trends trench positions to come in and go up against those big dudes that have been in college weight programs and have been coached up by college coaches for two three four years Jaden Jackson's not only doing that right now he's doing that on a day-to-day basis and putting this coaching staff in a position where they have to seriously consider whether or not he's worthy of rolling out there onto the field snap one on the defensive side of the ball I think he is the easy pick for impact freshman and I think he's shown the case to be that ever since he got to Norman yeah you know I'm right there with you I do think whenever the first depth chart drops which will probably be sometime in the next few days I I have to think it'll be Deon Terry and Don Williams as your your two guys but yep J yeah Jaden Jackson by everything I've been told and the same for you I'm certain based off that pick he's pushing uh he's pushing for that right in that mix I do think it'll probably be desan Terry but it's close it's a conversation which is crazy yeah um I'll probably go with the loow hanging fruit and just his buddy but I'll go with David Stone um similar reasoning um you know everything has been coming up Rosy for David Stone so far and he's you know he's the guy that brought in you know we talked about it whenever they he got they got him committed and you know he was a huge deal obviously similar to what we just had Michael fusi and that there was so much buildup to that decision and we talked about the time could he have an impact right away and we agreed uh yeah he definitely could and probably will and so here we are and I have to think that you know if all goes to plan and he has the development that he has hoped to have over this last month and over the course of this freshman season he's gonna see the field he's going to play so uh David Stone would be a big one for me as far as like some honorable mentions there's one obvious honorable mention I want to make sure I get in in Michael boganowski would be a big one I know you're a big fan of him um you know those safety room you have the three big big names with Billy Bowman pton Bowen Robert Spears Jennings it's kind of up for grabs after that and you know Michael boganowski is just a name that everyone you talk to whether it's a player someone around the team preventable even his name comes up quick uh every time I remember Robert SP Jennings was asked about him and he just kind of smiled is like yeah he's a thumper uh he he will mess you up we all remember the spring game there were so many jokes about he's the only one who doesn't know this is a scrimmage he just lighting people up everywhere Michael boganowski I have a I have a feeling is gonna have a role in some cap pass on this team as well it's hard to do as a true freshman oklahama but I do think that that's very realistic was there any other ones for you that have a potential yeah my real quick honorable mentions first of all Bogan ASI's a great one yeah I was thinking about this the other day how good do you feel if you're that Oklahoma staff that a lot of folks were recruiting him as a linebacker and you said no no no no no is a safety and he's coming there and is thumping yeah from the back end I mean that's got to feel really good to trust your eval he's paid off my quick honorable mentions I mean we know my phandom of Reggie Powers I think he has a chance to find some time in the rotation at cheetah or so many safeties dude I just so many safeties and then the last one I want to throw out there my honorable mention I'll tell you what Josh I don't know if you've heard the same from talking to folks but Eli Bowen yes it's a good one Eli Bowen man I was a huge fan of his in high school and and I remember a lot of folks asking me is Eli gonna be able to make the impact that pton can bring to the table because of being relatively undersized Eli Bowen is out there making plays from what we've heard coming out of fall Cam that that would be my other quick honorable mention I do think too we'll throw it in there I do think Taylor Tatum has got a chance as well I do think that it'll probably be the sawchuck and barn show um with some Caleb pick mixed in there but T Tatum is a freak of nature so uh he's worth mentioning next up what is it Team MVP uh I believe you have the t- box sir I'm in the t- boox um there's a very obvious one here I guess I'll go ahead and take it um Danny stman I mean that's the most obvious pick um you know I talk about this a few times we just did the linebacker position prev of the day Danny susman in my opinion is Oklahoma's best player on the current team and but beyond that he's the face of the program you know he's the leader of the team you remember the Texas game last year we all do the pregame speech um he makes it all go you know he kind of is U football right now in 2024 um it was a huge deal to get him back whenever he originally thought he might go pro changed his mind and that's huge obviously he's on everything everything Oklahoma does he's at the Forefront of it and that's both because of what he is on the field as well as his personality and his leadership all that Danny hman is is massively important and he's at a position that's probably the deepest and maybe best on the team and I still feel like he's that because he's just so vital and he's so good um to what Oklahoma's trying to do so Danny tman for me is a Team MVP he's an instrumental part of this team and roster this year and he's he's had a really good fall camp we don't talk about it enough just because I mean it's a given yeah right what are we gonna say oh he's doing he's doing really good kep my eye is this stutsman kid yeah don't don't sleep on him but okay so I'm trying to feed off of your picks and and sort of uphold the idea of like if you go defense and an easy one I gotta go offense to a degree just to for the sake of the show and for the people out there because I feel like an honorable mention off the top Billy Bowman that yep danman's right there Billy Bowman's right there right did you see the uh make defense great again shirts and hats The stman Bowman 24 I believe is yeah yeah I I I think that's for sale now as well I believe they went live for that shot so that's that's a thing but I mean again it speaks to what these two mean to the program but again if you're taking the easy name and I want to kind of go off the beaten path make sure I'm touching on the offensive side of the ball Dion Burks is gonna be one of the face this team I mean I I feel like and this is what for me I know I talked about this when they got him out of the portal for me Deon Burks was one of if not the top transfer wide receiver available in the portal at time for good reason now he comes into that Oklahoma receiver room and you're like this is an embarrassment of riches how are they even gonna make this work why I make this pick yeah I go back to so often with some of these unknowns on the offensive side of the ball my time covering North Texas when Seth lro was there and when Seth was at un they had a player by the name of Jaylen Darden now I'm not saying that Deon burce and Jaylen Darden are the same player why I bring this up jayen Darden was kind of like this super athletic Twitchy fun slot receiver not the biggest guy in the world but what Seth Latrell and his offensive staff did a great job of was even when everyone in the stadium knew they wanted to get the ball to Jaylen D they found a way to get him the ball and Jaylen Darden went from un and an unknown recruit to the NFL I think Deon Burks is an NFL player right now and if Seth Latrell knows how to get a guy like that the ball no matter what the situation calls for this guy's gonna be one of the faces of the offense and I think from what we've heard kind of going back to what are we gonna say stutzman's having a good fall Camp I mean you know Deon Burks is Dion Burks so I think he's arguably your leading receiver this year and from a yardage perspective or a receptions perspective and I think this is the guy that when U needs a big play they gotta move the chains and they gotta find a way to get their best player the ball yeah I think it's Dion Burks for you in 2024 no that's a great pick and like you just said very similarly to what we were kind of joking about with stutsman um not that DM Burks has you know he's hasn't played a game at Oklahoma yet but he was so good in the spring um and he was so good in the spring game that this fall it was you know kind of the same thing a little bit of a given but he's had a great Camp too um he's you know the receiver room has been you know guys have been in and out OB J Gibson got hurt Nick Anderson Z pero have been kind of in and out Deion Burks has been there the whole way and lighting it up the whole way from yep what I've been told and so yeah uh huge years is coming up for him him and Jacks s had kind of that you know kind of similar reminds me a lot of just last year Dylan Gabriel Andel Anthony I just felt like there was that immediate like these guys just go together on the football field feel like Arnold and Burks is very similar and uh we saw how that played out at the beginning of last year before angre got hurt it was just the chemistry was just there immediately it feels like it's very similar for Arnold and Burks so that's a great pick um great pick yeah and Arnold certainly I guess deserves an honorable mention as well as just quarterback kind of always falls under the umbrella of just yeah really I was going to say I guess that would be your other honorable mention before I one so I also feel like he does fall under to a degree the next topic which for sure most most to prove at Oklahoma in 2024 From perspective and I think Arnold is someone who many people will point to right away I'm not gonna go there though Josh I'm gonna go Michael Tarin here oh I think this is huge because I agree let me let me put it this way when we did a lot of reporting on the Michael tarwin trans reportal process and I funny enough he didn't even have an announcement I just reported that he had entered the student database and he was on campus this this Michael tarwin situation is flying under the radar and it has from the start M but the context here for me is Josh like I've always been and maybe it's not fair but like just my opinion I've always been relatively skeptical of taking a guy like tarwin who whether it was at Florida or at USC yeah it has yet to come together for a guy at least from what we've seen to this point for someone who's now going to be your left tackle at Oklahoma and when I when I heard that this was someone who was potentially going to take over the left tackle side maybe I didn't buy in all the way just because I didn't know whether or not they were trying to deal with some of the bumps and bruises that we've discussed and they're trying to get Jacob seon prepared to play some guard but it very much sounds like this is someone who's going to start for Oklahoma if all things are even and so man you go into the SEC and Michael Tarin is your left tackle I think this is the player that jumps out to me as someone who has a ton to prove because following his last few stops now considering where he is the program he's at and where this program is going this guy's going to determine a lot of Oklahoma success in 2024 so I can't wait to see what he brings to the table no it's a great pick and there's there's a a few guys on the offensive line that you could probably to you know make an argument for for this um because there's a few guys that they really need to step up and have their best years um I'm going to go I'm going to stick on offense um I'm not going to flip because I the one that jumped out to me on offense uh gavonte Barnes as a big one for me I've been talking about gavon a lot over the course of the offseason and I'll do it again um you know last year was just a bizarre year for him it was a lost year for him he was hurt couldn't get on the field and you know that freshman season he was so good as Eric Gray's second option and had the great Che it bowl with Gavin Sawchuk and it was like these guys are going to form this Duo it's going to be awesome and it didn't happen last year Gavin was able to salvage his year finished really strong and now you know the spring comes and the spring game happens he doesn't get a carry and we're all kind of like is this relationship over you know is it done he suck it out he's still here he's had a monster Camp he's a guy whose name comes up every time I talk to anyone around the team as far as post scrimmage or whatever um he's just been making play after play after play gav s truck's I think going to be your guys he's can get plenty of touches but the gavonte Barnes you know kind of comeback Resurgence season is upon us I really think he's gonna have a massive bounce back here you know he's gonna have that edge you know because he was kind of forgotten about um for a lot of people and he's gonna remind people I think that you know I was really really good two years ago and um I'm a potentially Next Level caliber running back and so I think it's a huge prove at year for Javonte Barnes and I think he's going to do it uh as well honorable mentions for this there's a lot um one that comes out to me on the defensive side I would probably say a couple of linebackers cob McKenzie and jiren knck both I feel like have got a lot to prove they're in year three Kip Lewis has risen to borderline star status or at least Rising Star status we talk about those year two guys leis Carter Samy waso that are breathing down their necks um it's a huge year for both those guys I feel like um make or breaks maybe a little strong but you know jiren KCK is a guy who started last year and you know he kind of his play was a little up and down he's kind of fading back a little Cody McKenzie hasn't had a ton of run um but it's a guy that I still really like both those guys I think are in major like this is a huge year for them uh category um I put both of those as honorable mentions for me what about for you yeah I think some folks will bring up PJ here but I I don't know I don't know how you feel about it I personally don't think he has a ton to prove this season because I don't think he has to be the guy so yeah I'm with you yeah I I I mean that defensive end room right now is loaded Miguel chav has done a great job so I think PJ doesn't have to be the premier pass rusher considering the number of names that are in that room I you mentioned the defense Williams to a degree yeah there's a lot of there's a lot of expectations there I think that's a good one that's a microscope being put on you after the portal process and everything that was made out to be as far as your talent level and everything I think he's gonna be really darn good I'm just saying General perspective I think a lot of fans are gonna be tuning in yeah expecting a lot yeah yeah other fan bases are going to be watching Dominic Williams every given Saturday and basically trying to say whether or not he was worth all that Pursuit and I think he has a real opportunity to deliver because I think I've talked about it briefly I just feel like this system fits him a lot better relative to his frame and skill set so I think Dominic Williams kind of comes to mind me because of what he meant to Oklahoma and what that portal process looked like I mean it was arguably one of the most talked about portal recruitments yeah in window and so I look at him as someone with maybe some things to prove no that that's a good one and I agree I think he's going to be he's going to be good um I'm excited to watch him play um you know here next week but you know and not for nothing but the you know no disrespect to our uh our good buddies in for worth but little more uh pressure Spotlight fan attention media attention at Oklahoma um so that's a big step up for him and the SEC now too as well obviously so I'm with you that's a good one all I think that's it uh that was fun good way to kind of go through some last kind of Camp Intel SL storylines for the upcoming season we're moving into gameweek uh pretty pretty crazy uh high school games are are back next week as well so you're gonna be really busy with that um I as well and then obviously the O openers next Friday it's pretty pretty wild it is go time we got week zero this weekend so uh enjoy man I I can't overstate it I needed football back in my life I know are in the same boat but it feels so good to know that we're kicking the ball off almost Nationwide basically coming up as early as this weekend so week one is g to be here before you know it and thank the lord we get a little week zero flavor too because I I am way more bought in to Florida state Georgia Tech and smu's game against Nevada should be at this time yeah no I'm stoked I'm going out to a scrimmage over Carl Albert tonight and just the first like hit or whatever is going to just going to just feel good we've been out of practice and stuff but it'll be different it'll be different all right I think that's it thank you so much for tuning in as always be sure to subscribe as soon as Illustrated subscribe to the YouTube channel um again next week the show will be on Tuesday with Tom Jay's myself for final season predictions we'll lock in the record and all that stuff how we think this year is going to go we'll do that on Tuesday the rent venables press will be on Monday so keep an for the YouTube channel for that along with player interviews in the evening on Monday and then we'll get youall ready for the first game next Friday pretty pretty wild we're excited season two for soon Illustrated that's it for now we'll see you back here next week for Colin Kenny I'm Josh Callaway we'll see you guys next time right back here on the Sooners Illustrated podcast