College football is so close to being back, as almost all of the five power schools have now had their spring game or scrimmage - including the Oklahoma Sooners, who are looking to prove many people wrong. What do I mean by that? Well, the Sooners are a team that people don't have high expectations for, considering they lost Dillon Gabriel and others.
People think this team will be in the middle of the pack in its first year in the SEC. And while we still don't know how it will go, things looked promising based on what we saw during the spring game. Then again, that's what spring games are designed for—to put on the season's first show for fans.
Three guys stood out, though. I'd like to say there are three winners in particular.
Deion Burks, WR
There is no more obvious player than Burks after what he did. Forget the fact that he had the first big play of the game, as QB Jackson Arnold threw a bomb to him down the middle of the field, and he took it all the way. But he also had 174 receiving yards and two touchdowns on the day.
Every play it seemed like Burks was open. I don't know if it said more about the secondary being pretty bad or the fact that he was unguardable. However, he looked like a guy who could win some awards as a wide receiver in 2024.
Jackson Arnold, QB
This one is pretty obvious, too. But, when your quarterback makes his debut as No. 11 and as the starter for the 2024 season after Dillon Gabriel leaves, all eyes are going to be on him, and he did not disappoint. He looked like a guy who learned a lot last season behind Gabriel and applied it to this season.
Arnold finished his spring game 10/20, passing with 233 yards and two touchdown passes. Arnold was connecting on the deep ball more than anything, and while he still had some things to work on, he looked great.
Chapman McKown, RB
The redshirt freshman running back didn't play much, and that's expected, but if this game counted for record or something of that nature, McKown would have had the biggest play of the game, technically.
McKown took a handoff in for a touchdown to all but put the game away, which saw the red team (offense) win it. Sure, it was one of the few plays from him that we saw, but his vision, strength, and skillset were on display. There are so many winners from this game, but McKown has to be mentioned at least once.
The entire running back room looked good, as the Sooners could possibly have a very versatile offense in 2024.
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