Observations From Oklahoma's Second Practice of Fall Camp

Oklahoma hit the practice field for the second time in fall camp on Friday. 

Local media members were permitted to observe 70 minutes of practice, and both Ryan Chapman and Carson Field were in attendance for Sooners on SI. 

Here are their observations from the Sooners’ practice>

On offense, running backs Taylor Tatum and Xavier Robinson stood off to the side during the initial individual drills. It appeared they were being held out of the early drills out of an abundance of caution. Offensive guard Febechi Nwaiwu was absent, and lineman Darius Afalava also worked off to the side as he recovers from the injury that sidelined him in spring practice. 

As defensive tackles coach Todd Bates indicated at the OU Coaches Luncheon in July, Markus Strong was also being held out of drills. 

Defensive back Kendel Dolby had a sizeable cast on his left hand, but he was participating in practice. Dolby worked at cornerback with Kendal Daniels and Reggie Powers splitting time at cheetah while the defense ran through different coverages. 

Quarterback John Mateer’s vocal leadership is already showing. He was arguably the loudest voice in each of the Sooners’ drills.

Transfer tight end Will Huggins, from Pittsburg State, practiced with the starting group on offensive drills in the early portion of the day. In addition to his 6-6, 252-pound frame, Huggins’ pass-catching abilities were on display, as he caught a handful of passes in team drills.

Later on, tight end Kaden Helms was the first tight end used during the inside period. 

Transfer wideout Isaiah Sategna, who transferred to OU after three years at Arkansas, also got reps with the first team. Sategna caught passes both on checkdowns and down the field from Mateer.

The initial offensive line in the inside run period consisted of Jacob Sexton at left tackle, Eddy Pierre-Louis at left guard, Troy Everett at center, true freshman Ryan Fodje at right guard and Derek Simmons at right tackle. 

Freshman Michael Fasusi and redshirt sophomore Logan Howland rotated heavily at tackle as well. Fasusi stands out physically on the field and had his share of good reps. 

Florida State transfer Marvin Jones Jr. worked with Adepoju Adebawore with the first team defensive line. R Mason Thomas was present and worked in, but he was handed light work as he’s an obvious starter. 

Redshirt sophomore Taylor Wein was very vocal throughout practice, often directing traffic and communicating to the linebackers and cheetahs. 

Linebackers Kip Lewis and Kobie McKinzie often took the first reps in drills, which came as no surprise. 

Dolby, Gentry Williams and Jacobe Johnson split time at corner pretty evenly once the defense started rolling through coverages. 

Freshman Courtland Guillory’s length stands out when standing next to the other cornerbacks. Johnson and Guillory should balance out the shorter Williams and Eli Bowen nicely if that group serves as the rotation at corner. 

Head coach Brent Venables revised his role as Jimmy Greenbeans, the scout team quarterback, for a brief portion of practice. Greenbeans puts plenty of air under the football, but he lacks the zip he once had. 

Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. started four games in 2024 and played on the second team. His dual-threat capabilities were on display on Friday, as he ran through multiple holes in the middle of the Sooners’ offensive line for solid gains.

Cal transfer Jaydn Ott took the first rep across the board at running back, and he was followed close behind by Jovantae Barnes.

Freshman Tory Blaylock was impressive on second-team reps. The running back from Atascocita, TX, stands 5-11 and displayed his pass-catching abilities in Friday’s practice.

Ott, Blaylock, Elijah Thomas and Josiah Martin participated in catching footballs for kickoff return, and Sategna, Jacob Jordan and Tatum caught balls in the punt return line.