Oklahoma football: Sooners conspicuously absent on preseason All-Big 12 Team
By Chip Rouse
The Big 12 announced its 2023 Preseason All-Big 12 Team on Wednesday with just one Oklahoma football player represented.
Junior defensive lineman Ethan Downs is the lone Sooner named to the team, which is annually voted upon by members of the media who cover the Big 12 and its teams.
The Oklahoma representation on the preseason All-Big 12 Team has gone down precipitously in the last two years. After having nine players receive preseason honors prior to the 2021 season, including Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, the number dropped to just two a year ago.
Last season, in Brent Venables’ first year as head coach at Oklahoma, quarterback Dillon Gabriel was named preseason Newcomer of the Year in the conference, and Michael Turk made the team as punter.
Downs, a home-grown product from Weatherford, Oklahoma, was an All-Big 12 second-team selection by the league coaches after last season. He started all 13 games for the Sooners and led the team and ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 13.5 tackles for loss. More than a third of his 38 total tackles were for lost yardage. Downs also led the team with 4.5 sacks and nine quarterback hurries.
The Sooners named to the 2021 Media Preseason All-Big 12 team were Offensive Player of the Year Spencer Rattler and Newcomer of the Year Eric Gray. Named on offense were QB Rattler, FB Jeremiah Hall, WR Marvin Mims, OL Marquis Hayes, OL Wanya Morris and K Gabe Brkic. Sooners named to the All-Big 12 team on defense that year were DL Isaiah Thomas, DL Perrion Winfrey and LB Nik Bonitto.
Interestingly, only Jeremiah Hall and Michael Turk from Oklahoma made the 2021 postseason All-Big 12 team.
The 2023 Big 12 Preseason Media Poll is expected to be released on Thursday.