A quick glance at Oklahoma’s depth chart for the Cheez-It Bowl compared to the season finale at Texas Tech shows that the Sooners are rolling into Orlando with quite a different look personnel wise. The transfer portal and NFL Draft declarations have taken away experience at several key offensive and defensive positions. Here’s a quick look at the guys who will be called upon to “stand in the gap” for OU against #13 Florida State.
Running Back
After compiling 1,366 rushing yards, and 11 touchdowns, Eric Gray is sitting the bowl game out in order to prepare for the NFL Draft. The Sooners could use three running backs replace Gray but we’ll likely see a heavier dose of Marcus Major and Jovantae Barnes.
| No. | Name | Size | Year |
| #24 | Marcus Major | 6-0/220 | R-Jr. |
| #2 | Jovantae Barnes | 6-0/200 | Fr. |
| #29 | Tawee Walker | 5-9/214 | So. |
Despite being limited by injury this season, Major has logged a career high in rushing attempts, yards, and touchdowns. Averaging 4.1 yards per carry, on the year, Major ran for 227 yards on 56 attempts and four touchdowns. He also caught eight passes (another career high) for 61 yards and another score. His most productive game of the season came in the opener where he logged 54 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries (7.7 YPC).
Despite only being a freshman, Jovantae Barnes is likely to get the most work from the backfield. Part of it has to do with Major’s health and part of it is the upside that Barnes possesses. Averaging 4.6 yards per carry on the season, Barnes has 411 yards and four touchdowns on 89 attempts. Ranked as the #3 running back from the state of Nevada, and the #10 running back in the class, for 2022, Barnes has seen action in nine games this season. His most productive outing came against TCU when he ran for 100 yards, and two touchdowns, on eighteen carries.
Major has been limited in practice and was in a walking boot earlier in the week. This puts Tawee Walker, and possibly Gavin Sawchuk, in more of a spotlight than they might not have been otherwise. Walker has just 11 carries on the season, for 48 yards, and one reception that went for seven yards. Sawchuk, who was the top player from Colorado in the 2022 class, has two carries on the season for five yards.
Left Tackle
Anton Harrison is likely Oklahoma’s highest ranked NFL Draft prospect. Most draft prognosticators have him ranked as one of the Top 5 offensive tackles available for the 2023 draft and that was good enough for the 6-5/315 junior to opt out of Orlando and start looking at Kansas City instead.
| No. | Name | Size | Year |
| #76 | Jacob Sexton | 6-6/312 | Fr. |
| #55 | Aaryn Parks | 6-4/300 | R-So. |
Oklahoma doesn’t lose a lot of size by replacing Harrison with Jacob Sexton. What the Sooners do lose though is experience. Harrison was a three-year player and Sexton is a true freshman. To his credit, Jacob Sexton was a 4-star prospect who had scholarship offers from Alabama, Texas, Notre Dame, and several other Blue Blood schools. That said, he’ll have a massive challenge facing a Florida State defensive front that includes All Conference rusher Jared Verse.
Right Tackle
Harrison isn’t the only offensive lineman taking a hike towards the NFL Draft. Wanya Morris has also made his intentions known for a path towards and NFL future that doesn’t include playing in the Cheez-It Bowl. This means that two new offensive tackles will be lining up for the Sooners against a Florida State defense that has recorded 34 quarterback sacks this season.
| No. | Name | Size | Year |
| #60 | Tyler Guyton | 6-7/320 | R-So. |
| #55 | Aaryn Parks | 6-4/300 | R-So. |
OU won’t be as inexperienced on the right side of the line as they are on the left. Guyton was initially a member of TCU’s 2020 recruiting class but transferred to Oklahoma prior to the 2021 season. At TCU he played in a total of nine games, eight of which came in the 2021 season, and this season he’s made four starts, and played in nine total games, for the Sooners.
Receiver
I absolutely mean this will all due respect. Theo Wease hitting the transfer portal is the move that will have the smallest affect on Oklahoma’s game plan against Florida State. Part of it is the depth that the Sooners have at receiver and part of it is that Wease only caught 19 passes this season. Granted, he was pretty spectacular in the season finale against Texas Tech but still, he was 6th on the team in total receptions.
| No. | Name | Size | Year |
| #3 | Jalil Farooq | 6-1/203 | So. |
| #4 | Nic Anderson | 6-4/200 | Fr. |
Wease was already listed behind Jalil Farooq on the depth chart and his departure will elevate freshman Nic Anderson to being another step closer to reaching the field. Anderson was a 4-star prospect who came to Oklahoma as a member of the 2022 recruiting classes. He had a total of 29 scholarship offers and despite possessing a ton of potential, and appearing in two games this season, he still might struggle to break out among a receiving corps that also includes Marvin Mims, Drake Stoops, and Gavin Freeman in addition to Farooq.
Defensive Tackle
Much like the situation with Theo Wease, Jalen Redmond’s departure should be absorbed by the depth at the position. Redmond was listed at #2 behind Jordan Kelly and his departure brings Josh Ellison back into a significant role within the rotation.
| No. | Name | Size | Year |
| #88 | Jordan Kelley | 6-4/288 | R-Sr. |
| #90 | Josh Ellison | 6-3/300 | Sr. |
| #56 | Gracen Halton | 6-2/277 | Fr. |
Ellison was a 4-star JUCO recruit and is in his third season at Oklahoma. He was in the shadows of Perrion Winfrey for his first two seasons and didn’t really take a big step forward this season. However, he has played in all twelve games for the Sooners in 2022 and has a total of 36 games of experience under his belt with six starts.
Halton has shown a ton of potential. That’s good news for a kid who arrived to Norman as a 4-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. As a true freshman this season he’s made nine game appearances with 10 tackles recorded. He’s shown flashes of power and a good burst off the line. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll benefit the most from Redmond’s departure.
Follow us on Twitter: @SportsHeartland