Oklahoma football: Sooners name 5 captains for season opener versus UTEP

After eight long months of transition to a new head coach, culture and system — and the hard work, learning process and preparation that accompanies all of that — the Oklahoma football coaches, players and fans are now down to 48 hours before the start of the new college football season.

Things are all in place to welcome the University of Texas-El Paso to Norman and the Palace on the Prairie to kick off the Sooner’s 2022 schedule. Earlier this week head coach Brent Venables released the team’s depth chart and named the Sooner captains for Saturday’s season opener.

The Sooners will go with five captains: All are veteran returning players from last season plus transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who has quickly established himself as a team leader.

The other four captains who will trot out on Owen Field two days from now for the ceremonial coin toss are fifth-year seniors LB DaShaun White and TE Brayden Willis and DB Justin Broiles along with senior LB David Ugwoegbu.

“I believe in promoting older guys who have been here. They’ve paid a price. It means a little more something to them,” Venables said during fall training camp last month. “Being a senior should be a big deal. Needs to be a big deal. We’re going to honor that and recognize that.”

The one exception, of course, is Gabriel. While no one would question naming an experienced starting quarterback as one of the team captains, Gabriel truly has earned that honor by earning the trust and respect of his coaches and teammates and by his tenacious work ethic. He has worked at building relationships with his offensive teammates, both by example and by hosting off-campus retreats and get togethers. You wouldn’t know that this is his first year at OU by the leadership he has shown and the camaraderie he has established with his Sooners teammates.

All of that goes on full display for Sooner fans starting on Saturday.

White and Ugwoegbu are among the most experienced players on the 2022 OU squad, and they are being looked to for major contributions on an OU defense that has been under the gun for several seasons now to be more complementary to the Sooners prolific offensive attack.

Big things are also expected from Willis this season as he steps up as No. 1 on the depth chart in the TE/H-back role so many former Sooners have thrived in before him. In eight starts a year ago, Willis caught 15 passes for 177 yards with two resulting in touchdowns.

Last season in the OU defensive secondary, only Patrick Fields, who is now at Stanford, played more defensive snaps than Broiles, who is beginning his fifth season in Norman. Broiles will also play a lot on special teams this season.

During his radio show this week, Venables said the Sooners will have game captains throughout the season and that they will be a little different every week. The team captains will be honored at the end-of-the-season banquet, where they will receive team jackets, he said.