OU football: Projecting the depth chart on offense

Oklahoma’s fall camp is just days away.

While a lot of the focus will be on defense, the offense has some things to figure out, too. With the departures of Marvin Mims, Theo Wease, Eric Gray and Brayden Willis, the Sooners are tasked with finding replacements particularly at the skill positions.

Jeff Lebby and the offense should have plenty of options, which makes the depth chart interesting to project.

On Wednesday, OUInsider projected the two-deep depth chart on defense. Here’s a look at the projected depth chart on offense:

Dillon Gabriel

Jackson Arnold

Davis Beville

Gabriel enters the 2023 season as a fifth-year senior who is the returning starter and has experience in Lebby’s system. Arnold’s time will come, but it’s unlikely it’ll be this year. However, Arnold’s presence alone at back-up quarterback gives the Sooners more depth and flexibility with play calling, and the Sooners will certainly look for opportunities to get Arnold on the field.

Jovantae Barnes

Gavin Sawchuk

Marcus Major

It feels a little weird to use the traditional “starter” and “backup” labels here. While Barnes may be the first running back on the field, both he and Barnes will see the field a lot. It will likely morph into a 1A-1B situation with both guys, just like it was at last year’s Cheez-it Bowl (For reference, Barnes saw 27 carries to Sawchuk’s 15 against Florida State.) But that dynamic could change over the course of the season, with both running backs seeing opportunities as the lead runner depending on the matchup.

However, there will be opportunities for running backs behind Barnes and Sawchuk. Major, the veteran of the RB room, saw the most reps behind Eric Gray early last season and was productive, but injuries kept him off the field through much of conference play. If he can stay healthy, Major will likely see snaps. But it’ll be interesting to see if any of the other running backs, particularly Daylan Smothers, Kalib Hicks or Tawee Walker, work their way up the depth chart.

WR: Jalil Farooq, Jayden Gibson, Brenen Thompson, Jaquaize Pettaway

Slot: Drake Stoops, Gavin Freeman, LV Bunkley-Shelton

WR: Andrel Anthony, Nic Anderson, D.J. Graham, J.J. Hester

* The wide receiver position is easily one of the most difficult position groups to project. The only thing for certain is that Farooq and Stoops will start, and they will play a lot. After that, it’s almost a guessing game. The Sooners have talent at WR but not a ton of experience outside of Stoops and Farooq.

* Anthony is a downfield threat, which the Sooners desperately need with Marvin Mims gone. Anthony saw sporadic playing time at Michigan but flashed his big-play potential in limited minutes. Anthony was the target on the deep pass from Gabriel during the spring game, which was intercepted by Peyton Bowen.

* Stoops will see the majority of the slot reps, but Freeman will play, too.

* Anderson and Gibson — listed at 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-5, respectively — enter their second seasons with the program. They offer a ton of size and raw talent, but neither saw the field much last season.

* Thompson is a bit of a wildcard. He might be the fastest player on the team, but he transferred after spring practices and caught just one pass for 32 yards last season for Texas. Either way, expect Lebby to find creative ways to get Thompson the ball in open space.

* Bunkley-Shelton, Graham and Hester are hard to project. Bunkley-Shelton saw just four targets in 2022. Graham switched from DB to WR in the middle of last season, but now has a spring under his belt and did catch a couple of passes during the spring game. Hester played just three games last season before suffering an injury. But they are all veterans with talent, and they could earn significant playing time if they play well in fall camp.

* Pettaway’s path to playing time as a true freshman might be difficult. But the four-star wide receiver offers a ton of upside and athleticism, and he will absolutely be a big part of the offense moving forward, even if it’s not in 2023.

Austin Stogner

Blake Smith

Jason Llewellyn OR Kaden Helms

*Stogner is the clear No. 1 tight end. He’s by far the most experienced tight end on the roster, spent three previous seasons with the Sooners and he’ll be a big part of the passing attack.

* Smith may not make a big impact as a pass catcher — he caught two passes in five games last season for Texas A&M — but his skills as a blocker will likely earn him some playing time.

* Llewellyn and Helms both enter their second-year seasons in 2023. They are both talented players who saw limited playing time last season, but they both missed the spring with injuries. If healthy, both players should have an opportunity for playing time.

Left tackle: Walter Rouse, Jacob Sexton, Cayden Green

Left guard: McKade Mettauer, Savion Byrd

Center: Andrew Raym, Joshua Bates

Right guard: Caleb Shaffer, Jake Taylor

Left tackle: Tyler Guyton, Aaryn Parks

* Raym has started the last two seasons at center and his starting spot is likely solidified, but the program is excited about Bates’ future potential.

* The guard spots offer the most intrigue. Shaffer will likely earn the nod at right guard due to his experience as a starter at Miami OH. But he missed the spring and Taylor will likely see playing time, though he could compete at left guard, too.

* At left guard, Mettauer enters fall camp as the presumed starter. He started all 13 games last season, though his season was a bit inconsistent. Byrd has a legitimate chance at the starting job and could earn it if he outshines Mettauer during fall camp.

* Guyton and Rouse likely earn the starting tackle spots. Rouse started 39 games during his four-year career at Stanford, and Guyton started five games for the Sooners in 2022. Sexton will see opportunities if he recovers from an injury that kept him out during the spring, and injuries allowed Green to see first-team reps during the spring game. Parks, who announced his intentions to transfer during the offseason before remaining with the program, could push for playing time, too. Regardless, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has options.