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Oklahoma defensive back Woodi Washington has seen just about everything in his time as a member of the Sooner football program. He began his career all the way back in 2019, playing in four games as a true freshman.
To put that in perspective, here’s what Oklahoma football looked like in 2019: The head coach was Lincoln Riley, not Brent Venables. In fact, Venables had just helped Clemson win their second national championship in three years, serving as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. Quarterback Kyler Murray was off to the pros after winning OU’s second straight Heisman Trophy and its eighth overall. The Sooners had been soundly beaten in the College Football Playoff by Alabama in the Orange Bowl semifinal, and Riley was onto his third season as the head coach, after Bob Stoops handed over the reins in the summer of 2017.
The 2019 season saw another star quarterback in the form of Heisman runner-up Jalen Hurts. It saw another decisive defeat in the CFP, this time at the hands of LSU in the Peach Bowl semifinal. Riley had just six losses in three seasons as OU’s head coach, but the cracks were beginning to show, we just didn’t know it yet. The Sooners are still seeking that return trip to the playoff, and they only won the Big 12 one more time (in 2020) since then. Riley’s exit after the 2021 regular season paved the way for Venables to return to OU, this time as the head ball coach.
The SEC rumors were non-existent. Realignment itself was quiet in general. It was still illegal to pay players. NIL discussions were still months from blowing up. The Playoff was still at four teams, and folks were okay with it. The transfer portal was still in its infancy. Nobody knew what COVID-19 was. EA Sports wasn’t making college football video games.
Washington has stayed a Sooner though it all. A head coaching…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/secondary-deep-don-t-forget-120043496.html
Author : Sooners Wire
Publish date : 2024-07-23 12:00:43
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