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Oklahoma Football: 2023 Spring Game preview – Five things to watch

By Brandon Self

NORMAN, OK - APRIL 23: Head coach Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners stands with his team for the alma mater during their spring game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on April 23, 2022 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - APRIL 23: Head coach Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners stands with his team for the alma mater during their spring game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on April 23, 2022 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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NORMAN, OK – OCTOBER 15: Defensive lineman R Mason Thomas #32 of the Oklahoma Sooners grabs the shirt tail of wide receiver Tanaka Scott #3 of the Kansas Jayhawks to slow his run to a short gain in the fourth quarter against at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma won 52-42. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK – OCTOBER 15: Defensive lineman R Mason Thomas #32 of the Oklahoma Sooners grabs the shirt tail of wide receiver Tanaka Scott #3 of the Kansas Jayhawks to slow his run to a short gain in the fourth quarter against at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma won 52-42. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

The pass rush

In 2022, Oklahoma’s defense ranked 64th nationally in sacks with 28 (for a loss of 211 yards). Of these sacks, 20 came from a defensive lineman. The Sooner defense needs to show improvement up front, especially in the pass rush. Any defense that can get pressure on the quarterback sets itself up for success; however, this success is multiplied when adequate pressure can be achieved with eight defenders remaining in coverage.

The Sooners’ defense ranked 119th nationally in pass yards allowed per game last season with an average of 273.5. This number will improve drastically if the Sooner front four can put more effective pressure on the quarterback. The good news? There’s plenty of reason to be excited about this year’s defensive line room.

The Sooner pass rusher who’s had the best spring so far has been sophomore EDGE R Mason Thomas. Mason Thomas has increased his weight from 222 pounds to 240-plus after a highly productive offseason in the weight room. It’s been reported that he has maintained his speed and even increased his “twitch,” which was already pretty impressive.

"“And he’s twitching now. You know he’s special. Just more maturation. Maturation of my technique, maturation in the weight room, strength and conditioning. He’s almost 240 pounds, and it’s good weight.” – EDGE Coach Miguel Chavis on R Mason Thomas."

The defensive line also returns Ethan Downs and Reggie Grimes, the team’s two sack leaders in 2022. Newcomers to the Sooners’ defensive line include transfers Trace Ford, Rondell Bothroyd, Jacob Lacey, and Davon Sears, plus Incoming freshmen defensive linemen include Taylor Wein (not in Norman yet), Derrick LeBlanc, and five-star phenom P.J. Adebawore.

It’ll be critical that the defensive line can get pressure on QBs by itself, especially with the potential for the defensive backfield to be inexperienced. With these names, especially Mason Thomas, Adebawore, and Ford, I see the pass rush getting home more times than not this year. We will see the beginnings of this at the Spring game next week.

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