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Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (2) celebrates after returning an interception for a touchdown during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Oklahoma won 69-45. Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
The Oklahoma Sooners enter the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in 2024, and OU fans are as excited about the defensive side of the ball as they’ve been in a long time. Under third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], that unit looks capable of playing up to the standard in Norman.
Star power and veteran leadership are certainly part of the reason why. Linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] both could have gone pro this past winter, but opted instead to stay in school and help lead the Sooners into the SEC. The seniors have already received plenty of offseason recognition, but as the season draws closer, they were recognized again on Monday.
Both players were named to the preseason Associated Press All-America team that was released less than a week before Week Zero marks the beginning of the college football season. Both Stutsman and Bowman made the second team-defense on AP’s team.
Stutsman was 15th in the nation in tackles for loss last season, averaging 1.3 per game. He was Oklahoma’s lifeblood, the team’s leader and tallied over 100 tackles for the second straight year. He was joined at the linebacker position on the second team by Oklahoma State’s Nick Martin and Old Dominion’s Jason Henderson.
Bowman was a nightmare in the secondary for opposing offensive coordinators. Three pick-six touchdowns accompanied his six total interceptions last year, making him one of the most dangerous defensive backs in all of college…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/oklahoma-duo-makes-ap-preseason-024420753.html
Author : Sooners Wire
Publish date : 2024-08-20 02:44:20
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