Where’s Oklahoma Sooners’ Secondary Rank Nationally?

The Oklahoma Sooners’ defense is undergoing a resurgence. With Brent Venables heading into his third season as the program’s head coach, his defensive-minded coaching has flashed throughout his first two seasons. Heading into year three — the most defining of his tenure — his elite defensive talent is set to make some noise.

The Sooners have some strong talent at each level of the defense, and Venables, alongside first-year defensive coordinator Zac Alley, have the potential to prove what they have in the first season in the SEC.

Transitioning to the SEC from the Big 12, Oklahoma’s defense needs an arrival. No more flashes. The schedule is a gauntlet, and Oklahoma will need a stout defense to back up the team’s air raid offense.

One of the team’s best position groups is the secondary, but where do they rank across the nation?

Oklahoma Sooners’ secondary ranks No. 9 across college football

Pro Football Focus’ Max Chadwick has spent the offseason ranking top ten position groups across the country, with the most recent being the best secondaries in college football. The Sooners’ secondary came in ranked No. 9 as one of the three SEC programs making the cut.

“Of the 10 defensive backs who played at least 300 snaps for Oklahoma in 2023, eight are returning for 2024,” Chadwick wrote. “The Sooners are loaded at safety, and the star of that unit is Billy Bowman Jr., whose six interceptions last year tied for the third most among all defenders in college football. Dasan McCullough is a hybrid safety/linebacker for Oklahoma and ranked sixth among Power Five safeties with an 88.2 coverage grade this past season (minimum 275 snaps). Peyton Bowen was a five-star recruit in the 2023 class and earned an impressive 68.0 grade on 363 snaps in his true freshman campaign.”

There’s plenty of pop in the Sooners’ secondary. With elite talent on each level of the defense, the team’s secondary will get the opportunity to shine. There’s playmakers who will swing games with interceptions or huge forced fumbles, while also having high-IQ players to make sound plays.

Oklahoma’s Peyton Bowen (22) and Kalib Hicks (0) celebrate a play in the second half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Central Florida Knights at Gaylord Family Oklahoma-Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct., 21, 2023.

Heading into the SEC, an elite secondary full of both playmakers and strong tacklers is needed, as they’ll face plenty of wide receiver corps littered with NFL talents.

Oklahoma’s SEC foes, Texas and Georgia, make the cut

Texas — Oklahoma’s rival who is accompanying them in the move from the Big 12 to the SEC — was the first SEC program to make the list. Their secondary was ranked No. 6 in the nation, with Georgia’s secondary ranking No. 7 in college football. Oklahoma was the third SEC program mentioned.

For Oklahoma to be one of the three in-conference programs on the list is impressive, considering the SEC’s strong defensive identity.

READ MORE: Oklahoma Sooners’ Linebacker Group Disrespected in 2024 Rankings

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Follow Kade Kimble on Twitter.