Oklahoma football: Sooners well represented in Senior Bowl
By Chip Rouse
Five Oklahoma football players are in Mobile, Alabama, this week hoping to extend their playing careers with an opportunity at the next level.
The Senior Bowl provides NFL scouts, general managers and coaches an opportunity to get a look at top prospects who have completed the college eligibility or have declared early for the 2021 NFL Draft and see how they perform against top-level competition in a game environment.
Because of NCAA exemptions granted to all college athletes competing in fall sports this year awarding an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in effect all of the Senior Bowl participants have elected to forgo the extra college year and turn pro.
Over the years, a number of players who starred at Oklahoma have participated in the Senior Bowl and gone on to stellar NFL careers.
The two Senior Bowl teams — the American team and the National team — are coached by NFL coaches. Carolina Panthers’ coach Matt Rhule (formerly the Baylor head coach) and his staff will lead the American team; the National team will be coached by Brian Flores and members of the Miami Dolphins’ staff.
All five Sooners who are taking part in this year’s Senior Bowl are on the American roster. The OU participants are RB Rhamondre Stevenson, offensive linemen Adrian Ealy and Creed Humphrey and defensive backs Tre Brown and Tre Norwood.
According to an article by Mark Schofield of USA Today, reprinted in The Oklahoman, Humphrey and Stevenson have stood out in this week’s practice sessions leading up to the game on Saturday.
Oklahoma had two participants in the 2020 Senior Bowl, QB Jalen Hurts and defensive lineman Neville Gallimore. Both were selected in the NFL Draft that year: Hurts in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles, and Gallimore in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys.
In 2019, three Sooners were invited to the Senior Bowl: K Austin Seibert, and offensive linemen Ben Powers and Dru Samia, All became NFL draft selections several months later. Interestingly, Seibert played for the North team and Powers and Samia were on the South roster.
The 72nd annual Senior Bowl game will be broadcast on the NFL Network on Saturday beginning at 1:30 CT.