Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma football: Sooners rank among top-five QB position groups for 2023

By Chip Rouse

Dec 29, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws a pass against the Florida State Seminoles during the second quarter in the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws a pass against the Florida State Seminoles during the second quarter in the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

When Brent Venables arrived on the scene as the 23rd head coach in 127 years of Oklahoma football, the Sooners had one scholarship quarterback on the roster, and he had yet to play a single down of college football.

Things are much difhttps://twitter.com/On3sports/status/1653076356647862275ferent as far as the quarterback situation in Year 2 of the Venables era. The Sooners have a fifth-year college veteran in Dillon Gabriel returning to lead offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s OU offense in 2023 and a five-star freshman backup in Gatorade National Player of the Year Jackson Arnold.

With 2023 spring practice schedules now finished, the transfer window closed and the NFL Draft just completed over the weekend, college football has reached a dead period insofar as timely news until the ubiquitous award watch lists for the coming season start showing up in July and preseason training camps open up in August.

The 2024 recruiting cycle will remain active through the summer months, so those stories will pop up periodically as 2024 recruits announce their commitments. Other than that, it’s up to the media to come up with creative storylines and features to fill the dead period for college football news.

Jesse Simonton has done just that coming up with the top-10 quarterback units in college football for the 2023 season. The key here is he is not talking about the 10 best quarterbacks, but rather the best QB position groups heading into the 2023 season.

https://twitter.com/On3sports/status/1653076356647862275

Outstanding quarterback play has been a hot commodity at Oklahoma in recent seasons with the likes of two Hesiman-winning QBs in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray and a Heisman runner-up in Jalen Hurts. The Sooners also recruited a pair of No. 1 overall QB recruits in Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams, both now gone from OU but still active in the college game. Williams is the reigning Heisman winner.

You’re only an injury away from quarterback disaster, however, if you don’t have legitimate backup ready to step in at a moment’s notice. The Sooners found that out in spades a year ago, when Gabriel went down with an injury and missed nearly two games (six quarters, to be precise). The two games that Gabriel was out, Oklahoma lost 55-24 to TCU and 49-0 to Red River rival Texas, easily the Sooners’ worst two losses of the 2022 season.

Simonton ranks Oklahoma as the fifth-best quarterback unit looking ahead to the 2023 season.

"“While Brent Venables’ top offseason priority is to fix the Sooners’ leaky defense, Oklahoma should feel really good about its two QB options entering 2023,” Simonton wrote.“Dillon Gabriel is back for another season after throwing for over 3,100 yards and 25 touchdowns, but the veteran is being pushed by 5-star freshman Jackson Arnold, who some consider one of the most ready-made QBs in a loaded 2023 class.”"

The quarterback situation at USC, LSU, Texas and North Carolina rank ahead of the Sooners, according to Simonton’s view, with three soon-to-be conference foes chomping at OU’s heels in Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss out of the SEC.

Home/OU Football