Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma football: Five New Year’s priorities for Sooner football in 2022

By Chip Rouse

Jan 1, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; A general view of the Capitol One and College Football Playoff (CFP) logo on the field during the Rose Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; A general view of the Capitol One and College Football Playoff (CFP) logo on the field during the Rose Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 25, 2021; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners place kicker Gabe Brkic (47) kicks the game-winning field goal during the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2021; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners place kicker Gabe Brkic (47) kicks the game-winning field goal during the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

Bigger emphasis on special teams

With the exception of field-goal kicking, Oklahoma’s special teams have been average at best the past several years. And the Sooners’ field-goal kicker of the past three seasons, Gabe Brkic, is off to try his luck in the NFL. Punter Michael Turk returns for another season, though.

Brent Venables knows how important solid special teams is in complementing the defense and providing favorable field position.

The Sooners have one of the best punters in the nation in Michael Turk, who returns in 2022 for his super senior season. Turk averaged 51.2 yards per punt last season, which would have led all FBS teams if he would have had enough punts to qualify. The problem was OU did not have to punt much last season. As a result, Turk was called on just 35 times. Sixteen of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line and 20 went at least 50 yards.

Behind Turk are backup punt specialists Reeves Mundshau and Josh Plaster, a transfer from Arizona State who will be in his second season with OU. The Sooners also have incoming 2022 recruit Brady Braun joining the team. Braun was rated as the No. 4 kicker nationally by Kohl’s Performance Camps, a renowned training and evaluation service for kicking prospects.

Tackling has been an on-and-off proposition for the Sooners the last several years, and it can be especially critical on kickoff and punt returns. Getting players to the ground at the point of contact will be an emphasis for an Oklahoma team under Venables.

Oklahoma will need to replace Gabe Brkic, who handled field goals, extra points and kick offs for the Sooners the past three seasons. Brkic made 86 percent of his field goal attempts (57 of 69) and missed just one of 160 career extra-point kicks.

It’s a little unclear at this early point who will replace Brkic as the Sooners primary field-goal specialist. Someone who will definitely be in the competition, however, is 2022 recruit Gavin Marshall, who will be a preferred walk-on. Marshall is rated by Kohl’s Kicking Camp as a five-star prospect and the No. 17 kicker in the 2022 class.

Regarding the punt and kick-return game, Eric Gray and Marvin Mims, who returned all but five of the Sooner kickoff opportunities last season, are back in 2022 and the same two handled all of the OU punt returns a year ago.

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