Editor’s note: This is the eighth installment in our series of articles previewing and breaking down the various Oklahoma football position groups for the 2022 season. Today’s article focuses on special teams.
Special teams have always been an underappreciated art in the sport of football. At Oklahoma, the offense has been the main focus for some time now, but special teams is an area that new head coach Brent Venables and his staff take very seriously.
Over the past three years, Gabe Brkic emerged as one of the best kickers in the country, but he has elected to declare for the NFL Draft and take his talents to the next level.
So placekicking is an area the Sooners will need to backfill in the coming season, as well as some new faces in the return game.
As for Brkic’s replacement, Zach Schmit, from nearby Oklahoma City, will likely step into that spot as a redshirt sophomore. In his sole place-kicking appearance this past season he converted a 46-yard field goal and was perfect on his four extra-point attempts. He was the number five kicker in the 2022 class.
Michael Turk, who transferred to Oklahoma a year ago from Arizona Stater, returns to the punting spot for 2022 after finishing last season with the fifth best yards-per-punt average in the country.
With one of the biggest legs in the nation, Turk will give the Sooner offense the ability to be aggressive, knowing they will have an easier time winning the field position battle.
Turk has also been a solid locker room presence, and will be looked to as one of the “old guys” this season.
Depending on what coach Brent Venables wants to do, the return game could be aggressive or more conservative for the Sooners.
There are plenty of options to create some opportunities, with Marvin Mims as someone who has experience returning punts. In the 2020 season, he had 13 total returns for 12.5 yards per return, however, these numbers dropped this past season.
RB Gavin Sawchuk and WR Jalil Farooq have the speed and ability to make tacklers miss in the open field, which is a definite plus in the return game.
Touchbacks have become more common in college football, but having playmakers like this can give the Sooners a dynamic range of kick return options to gain important field position.