Oklahoma football: Two more Sooners make preseason award watch lists

A couple more Oklahoma football players have been named to 2022 preseason national award watch lists.

Junior Marvin Mims is one of 43 wide receivers and five from the Big 12 who are preseason candidates for the 2022 Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the most outstanding FBS receiver.

Mims has led Oklahoma in receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, The speedy wide receiver from Frisco, Texas, caught 37 passes for 610 yards and nine touchdowns his freshman season, but his catches and targets tailed off to 32 receptions in 2021 because he was underutilized in the Sooner offense.

That is expected to change in the 2022 season with a new quarterback (Dillon Gabriel) and a new offensive system under new offensive coordinator in Jeff Lebby. Mims is expected to be a major contributor in OU’s revamped 2022 offense.

Dede Westbrook (2016) is the only Oklahoma receiver to win the Biletnikoff Award.

Besides Mims, senior running back Eric Gray is also a preseason candidate for a national award being named to the 2022 Doak Walker Award watch list, which every year recognizes the best running back in college football.

In his junior season at Oklahoma in 2021 after transferring from Tennessee, Gray rushed for 412 yards and two touchdowns and also made 23 receptions for another 229 yards. With Kennedy Brooks departed for the NFL, Gray is expected to move into the lead running back role this season and see a lot more action.

Dillon Gabriel has yet to play one down for the Sooners but is already a preseason candidate for two national awards. In addition to the Maxwell Award, which recognizes the most outstanding player in college football, Gabriel is also a candidate for the Davey O’Brien Award, which is presented every year to the best quarterback in college football.