Oklahoma's cornerback room had highs and lows throughout the season, but showed signs of improvement.

The Sooners improved by many metrics from 2022 to 2023, including interceptions, coverage grades and overall defensive grades. In 2022, the highest-graded cornerback in coverage for the Sooners' was Woodi Washington at 74.2, per Pro Football Focus. The 2022 unit also only had three players finish with a grade higher than 65, compared to five in 2023.

The secondary did struggle against the pass at times, finishing 112th nationally in yards allowed (250.8 per game). But the Sooners also finished second nationally in interceptions with 20, and seven of them came from the cornerback room.

Let's dive into how the Sooners' cornerbacks fared in 2023:

(Note: All snap-count data and performances grades are provided by Pro Football Focus. PFF assigns both game and season-long grades for individual players on a 0-100 scale; 90-99 is considered elite, 80-89 good, 70-79 above average, 60-69 average, 50-59 below average, 0-49 poor. PFF performance grades are independent and separate from coaching staff evaluations.)

(OUInsider's Season Reviews: Wide receivers, running backs, tight ends, offensive line, defensive tackles, defensive ends, linebackers, special teams)

(Note: This does not include players who logged fewer than 40 snaps)

Woodi Washington -- 48 tackles, 0 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, 0 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, targeted 65 times, allowed 39 receptions for 606 yards and 4 touchdowns

Gentry Williams -- 30 tackles, 0 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 1 pass breakups, targeted 39 times, allowed 26 receptions for 286 yards and 1 touchdown

Kani Walker -- 24 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 4 pass breakups, targeted 33 times, allowed 17 receptions for 243 yards and 1 touchdowns

Kendel Dolby -- 49 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, targeted 45 times, allowed 31 receptions for 298 yards and 0 touchdowns

Jacobe Johnson -- 8 tackles, 0 sacks, 0.5 tackles for loss, 1 interceptions, 0 pass breakups, 1 target, allowed 1 reception for 5 yards and 0 touchdowns

Jasiah Wagoner -- 3 tackles 0 sacks, 0 tackles for loss, 0 interceptions, 2 pass breakup, targeted 7 times, allowed 3 receptions for 61 yards and 4 touchdowns

Makari Vickers -- 8 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 tackles for loss, 0 interceptions, 1 pass breakup, targeted 4 times, allowed 2 receptions for 38 yards and 1 touchdown

Woodi Washington -- 851 snaps, 70.5 total grade, 65.0 coverage grade

Gentry Williams -- 372 snaps, 65.9 total grade, 69.1 coverage grade

Kani Walker -- 428 snaps, 69.9 total grade, 70.5 coverage grade

Kendel Dolby -- 475 snaps, 66.6 total grade, 65.8 coverage grade

Jacobe Johnson -- 79 snaps, 78.3 total grade, 80.7 coverage grade (highest on team)

Jasiah Wagoner -- 76 snaps, 59.2 total grade, 57.8 coverage grade

Makari Vickers -- 61 snaps, 61.4 total grade, 53.1 coverage grade

— Woodi Washington led the team in total snaps and turned in a similar season in 2023 compared to 2022. According to Pro Football Focus, Washington accounted for one interception and five pass breakups in 2022, compared to 2023 where he had zero interceptions and four pass breakups. He also finished with lower grades in total defense and pass coverage in 2023. Despite the minor downgrades in coverage metrics, Washington was one of the Sooners' best defenders against the run and in tackling. He led all corners with a tackling grade of 79.3 and run defense grade of 89.1.

— Although it was his first year in Norman, Kendel Dolby was able to make a big impact. Dolby played the second-most snaps out of all corners and was targeted 45 times, but still managed to allow zero touchdowns on the season. Dolby was not only good in coverage, he had the highest pass-rush grade with 77.4 and led the unit in sacks with two. Plus, he also had the game-sealing tackle on a two-point conversion attempt against UCF.

— The cornerback who saw the biggest uptick of work from 2022 to 2023 was Kani Walker. In 2022, he only saw 65 snaps compared to 428 in 2023. Four Sooners cornerbacks played over 100 snaps. Out of the four, Walker had the highest coverage grade (70.4).

— Coming into the 2023 season, there was a lot of excitement regarding second-year player Gentry Williams. Despite struggling with injuries, which limited him to 10 games, Williams was one of Oklahoma's best cornerbacks in coverage. He had big moments in 2023, including a lights-out performance against the loaded Texas wide receiver group. In that game, Williams was only targeted two times, allowing one reception (for a yard) and graded out in pass coverage at 82.0.

— While he did not play much, true freshman Jacobe Johnson made his 79 snaps count. The former four-star finished the 2023 season with the highest grade in coverage at 80.7 and only allowed one reception on the year. Johnson appeared in eight games this season, making him ineligible for a redshirt.

— Makari Vickers did not see much action in 2023, but the true freshman did well in limited snaps. Vickers finished the year with the highest tackle grade out of all corners at 83.8. The heavily recruited four-star will not be eligible to redshirt after appearing in seven games.

— Jasiah Wagoner, like the other true freshmen, did not see much action in 2023. The game where he saw the most work was the last game of the regular season against TCU, where Wagoner played 29 snaps. In that game, Wagoner was in coverage for 23 plays yet allowed zero receptions on two targets.

— Overall, there are many signs of encouragement from this unit in 2024. Despite some tough moments, the Sooners return both starters and a lot of depth going into the SEC.

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