Biggest questions for OU's safeties entering 2023

Editor's Note: This is the fifth part in a series examining every Oklahoma position group heading into 2023. The first four parts covered wide receiver, running back, linebacker and defensive end.

Heading into 2023, safety is one of the most intriguing position groups for the Oklahoma roster.

The Sooners have one sure-fire starter in Billy Bowman, who was one of the most productive players on the Sooners’ defense. Despite missing two games, he finished fifth on the team in tackles (60) while adding two tackles for loss, three interceptions and a pass breakup. He played the fifth most snaps on the defense (677) and finished the season as the Sooners' best coverage player, grading out at 82.3 on Pro Football Focus' 1-100 scale.

However, the starting spot opposite Bowman is up for grabs with the departure of Justin Broiles. Broiles played over 1,300 snaps over his final two seasons with the Sooners and started 12 of 13 games last season.

Despite Broiles’ departure, the Sooners’ safety position has the potential to be the best on the team after adding both experienced and young players to the roster during the offseason.

“Key Lawrence and Reggie Pearson and Peyton Bowen and obviously Billy Bowman, those guys at safety give us more of what a defensive secondary should look like,” OU coach Brent Venables said after last month’s spring game.

Here’s a look at the some of the questions facing the Sooners’ safeties:

As far as who’s the most experienced safety on the Sooners’ roster, the answer is clear.

It’s Pearson.

The sixth-year senior transferred to OU after a two-year stint with Texas Tech, where he started 20 games and recorded 109 tackles, three interceptions and seven pass breakups. Prior to that, he played three seasons at Wisconsin and started 13 games during the 2019 campaign, finishing with 60 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss that season.

Several teammates and coaches pointed to Pearson as a new player that’s made a quick impact during spring practices.

“​​You can tell he's played a lot of snaps,” OU safeties coach Brandon Hall said during spring practices. “Everyone knows he's a physical football player. But the thing that I appreciate most about him is because of the amount of snaps that he's played, he doesn't get rattled. He's been under a number of coaches, obviously. And I think sometimes that's a good thing because all you've got to do is figure out that language barrier and how to communicate with him.

“He's very confident in himself. He's quiet, he's a learner and he's a leader. He really takes the younger guys under his wing and tries to help those guys out as well.”

Pearson was one of the standout players during the spring game, finishing second on the team with seven tackles (including one for a loss). Will it be him starting opposite Bowman in September?

When it comes to the five-star safety, there’s one primary question: how long does it take before Bowen proves too good to keep off the field?

Bowen, rated by Rivals as the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2023 class, was a standout at Guyer High School, totaling over 200 tackles and 12 interceptions in his final three seasons. He finished his senior year as the district MVP and helped lead Guyer, along with OU teammate Jackson Arnold, to the state semifinals.

Bowen made the highlight play of the day during last month’s spring game, intercepting a deep pass from Dillon Gabriel to Andrel Anthony.

​​”Peyton made an unbelievable play down the sideline,” OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said. “I think that's as good of a play as I've seen… He immediately gets his eyes back on the ball and becomes the receiver and makes an unbelievable play.”

The Sooners were hesitant to give young players significant minutes last season. But Bowen could prove too talented to keep off the field.

2022 was an up-and-down season for Lawrence. He appeared in 11 of 13 games and started four of them, playing 432 snaps while recording 58 tackles and an interception. But he struggled with injuries and inconsistency throughout the season.

Still, Lawrence had a prominent role as a reserve, and Hall noticed growth from him during the spring.

“​​For me, I've seen a huge jump,” Hall said about Lawrence. “He was somebody last year who you could tell at times was thinking too much. You're seeing him start to make a lot more plays… I think that just comes from confidence and not having to think and playing fast. He's starting to smile a lot more. That's something I can see, that he's enjoying playing the game.”

Spears-Jennings offers a lot of potential. The sophomore saw limited playing time last season — he logged 75 snaps and finished with 15 tackles — but the former four-star prospect learned a lot during his time on the field.

“It boosted my confidence dramatically,” Spears-Jennings said. “Last year, I was kind of unsure of myself, if I made the right decision. But after I played a little bit and saw what I could do, I was 100% about playing safety.”

Either way, the Sooners appear to have a lot of depth at safety entering 2023.