Oklahoma's safeties showed real growth in 2023.

In 2022, OU's safeties allowed nine touchdowns and only forced six interceptions. Just one year later, Brandon Hall's group allowed only seven touchdowns and forced nine interceptions.On top of that, the unit improved overall in coverage, with all safeties recording a coverage grade of 60 or higher, according to Pro Football Focus.

In the latest installment of OUInsider's season reviews, let's take a look at how the safeties played 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, cornerbacks)

Billy Bowman -- 63 tackles, 0 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, targeted 43 times, allowed 25 receptions for 329 yards and 3 touchdowns

Key Lawrence -- 44 tackles, 0 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, targeted 23 times, allowed 16 receptions for 219 yards and 0 touchdowns

Robert Spears-Jennings -- 38 tackles, 0 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 0 interception, 1 pass breakup, targeted 14 times, allowed 8 receptions for 77 yards and 1 touchdowns

Peyton Bowen -- 36 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 0 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, targeted 14 times, allowed 7 receptions for 79 yards and 1 touchdown

Reggie Pearson -- 30 tackles, 1 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 interceptions, 0 pass breakups, targeted 19 times, allowed 10 reception for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns

Billy Bowman -- 781 snaps (66.9 defensive grade, 69.5 coverage grade)

Key Lawrence -- 398 snaps (66.1 defensive grade, 63.7 coverage grade)

Robert Spears-Jennings -- 240 snaps (66.4 defensive grade, 61.7 coverage grade)

Peyton Bowen -- 363 snaps (69.5 defensive grade, 68.4 coverage grade)

Reggie Pearson -- 418 snaps (58.2 defensive grade, 62.1 coverage grade)

- Billy Bowman absolutely shined this season, delivering countless big moments. From the hit on Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders that led to an interception, to the 99 yard pick-six in Provo, Bowman consistently made impactful plays. Bowman not only led the team in interceptions (six), he also finished third in the nation. Three of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns, the most in any season by an OU player. With him returning in 2024, Bowman will be as one of the most decorated players in the SEC from Week 1.

— Key Lawrence had some good moments early in the season, including a forced fumble against SMU. He played a big role early, averaging 41.6 snaps per game over the first eight games. But his playing time was significantly reduced down the stretch, playing just 16.3 snaps per game in the final four weeks. However, Lawrence was the highest-graded safety in coverage versus Cincinnati (90.8), which ended up being the second-highest grade from any safety throughout the entire season. With Lawrence transferring to Ole Miss, he will face his former team on October 26th in Oxford.

- Pearson played a substantial role in his sixth and final season. The Texas Tech transfer did see the field a lot in 2023, playing the second-most snaps out of the safety room with 418 and had a good performance against Texas where he allowed zero receptions on 29 plays in coverage.

- 2022 four-star prospect Robert Spears-Jennings saw a massive uptick in work during his second season in Norman, finding himself on the field often after the loss in Lawrence and showed tremendous signs of improvement from 2022 to 2023. Despite struggling at times in coverage, he only allowed one touchdown on 136 snaps in coverage, per Pro Football Focus. With Lawrence and Pearson leaving OU, look for Spears-Jennings to have an even bigger role in 2024.

- True freshman Peyton Bowen immediately showed his potential as a top-rated safety in football. The true freshman lived up to the hype in his first season, seeing action in every game despite dealing with injuries and finishing the season as the highest-graded safety overall at 69.5. He even made his first collegiate start against Arizona in the Alamo Bowl, indicating that his role could be more substantial next season. Bowen will be a huge key to the Sooners success in 2024 as he is expected to be starting in a secondary that is returning all of its starters.

- Overall, this group was impressive and arguably the strength of the Oklahoma defense at many times throughout the season. Headlined by Bowman and Bowen, the Sooners will have one of the best safety duos headed into the SEC next season.

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