Oklahoma: True Freshmen To Watch in 2020
Every February (and now December) college football teams sign a new class of football players to join their program. It’s exciting to dream about what a prospect can become in the future but come September, some of those freshman will redshirt and wait for their opportunity to shine, while a few will be given the chance to make an immediate impact this season. In this series we will take a team by team look at the true freshman who could be given the opportunity to make a name for themselves in 2020. Today we will look at the Oklahoma Sooners true freshmen to watch in 2020.
Joshua Eaton – CB
Cornerback is a position where Oklahoma needs to find quality depth quickly. The Sooners, like most teams, use extra defensive backs more and more to slow down the modern spread offenses. 2019 starter Parnell Motley has moved on to the NFL and reserve corners Jordan Parker and Miguel Edwards are in the tranfer portal. Tre Brown returns as a starter at corner and Brendan Radley-Hines and Woodi Washington will likely compete for the nickel spot. Tre Norwood and Jaden Davis will likely compete for the second cornerback position. Jeremiah Criddel could be in the mix as well, but there just isn’t enough proven depth at cornerback right now. The Sooners will need a young corner or two to contribute right away and Eaton is a good bet to just that.
Josua Eaton was a star at Aldine MacArthur High School in Houston, Texas. Eaton has good height and length which allows him to matchup on the outside with bigger receivers. He has good speed and can turn and run with receivers downfield. Eaton will likely continue to add weight as he matures and will need to maintain his flexibility as he does. He has the ability to change directions with receivers and does a good job of staying attached in coverage. Eaton has excellent ball skills and does a great job on 50/50 balls. He has good physical tools to be an outside cornerback and is ready to play in 2020. Given the lack of proven depth, we expect Eaton to earn playing time at cornerback for the Sooners in 2020.
Marvin Mims – WR
Despite the loss of CeeDee Lamb to the NFL, Oklahoma was a wealth of talent at the receiver position. The problem is a lot of that talent is either injured or will be ineligible for part of the year. Jadon Haselwood suffered an knee injury in April, transfer receiver Theo Howard suffered an achillies injury last winter and Trejan Bridges is due to be suspended for the first give games of the season (the Sooners have appealed the suspension but who knows where it is on the NCAA docket). Charleston Rambo (#16 WR in our rankings) is back and will need to be a consistent leader. Theo Wease will be looked at to step up and play a bigger role in 2020 as well. Drake Stoops and Marshall transfer, Obi Obialo, will also be in the mix but we are not sure they can be counted on at this level. Mims will likely be in the mix to get playing time early and could stay in the rotation if he makes plays.
Marvin Mims had an incredible 2,629 receiving yards and 32 TD as a senior at Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas. He is an average size receiver with a slightly slender build but has a lot of ability. Mims has good (not great) long speed, but has excellent acceleration and change of direction skills on tape making it difficult to cover him or catch him once he has the ball. He has the leaping ability and body control to make difficult catches. Once he has the ball, Mims is difficult to tackle in space and can turn short passes into long gains. He is an extremely productive player who has a knack for making big plays. Mims enrolled early and at least got to take part in winter conditioning with the Sooners this year, he should be ready to provide a spark early in the season. He has always performed and there’s no reason to think he won’t at Oklahoma in 2020.
Bryson Washington – S
Both starting safeties are back in 2020 in Delarrin Turner-Yell and Pat Fields. Also returning is key reserve Justin Broiles who got a good amount of playing time in 2019. Past those three there isn’t a lot of production at safety returning. Defensive backs are at a premium these days and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch likes safeties who can make big plays. The Sooners will need one or two more players to step up and provide good depth in 2020. Bryson Washington enrolled early and has the type of playmaking ability Grinch looks for from his safeties. Look for Washington to make his way onto the two deep as a true freshman and find ways to contribute.
Bryson Washington was a big play machine at C.E. King High School in Houston, Texas. He has good speed and range at the safety position allowing him to play center field on defense. Washington has the instincts to find the play and the ball skills to secure the interception. He does a good job returning interceptions as well and scored his share of defensive touchdowns in high school. Washington has good size at 6’2″ and is already well built but will continue to add strength in college. He is a good hitter at the safety position and makes receivers pay a price for making the catch. Washington is a deep safety because he is not great in man coverage, but he is excellent at what he does and should find early playing time at Oklahoma. He may not start, but he will get reps and with his playmaking ability we expect Washington to make those reps count.
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