BREAKING: Oklahoma lands 9 superstar on All-SEC teams
No Sooners made the All-SEC second team, but four players were selected for the third team, and three made the preseason All-SEC fourth team. Running back Gavin Sawchuk, wide receiver Deion Burks, right guard Febechi Nwaiwu, and defensive back Kendel Dolby were chosen by Phil Steele for the All-SEC third team. Meanwhile, wide receiver Nic Anderson, kick returner Jalil Farooq, and long snapper Ben Anderson were named to the preseason All-SEC fourth team.
Sawchuk led Oklahoma in rushing last season, amassing 744 yards and nine touchdowns with an average of 6.2 yards per carry as a redshirt freshman. Despite being hampered by a hamstring injury early in the season, he emerged as the leading back in the latter half, surpassing 100 yards in each of the final five games. He has consistently exceeded 100 yards in all six games where he had more than 10 carries.
Burks, a transfer from Purdue, is seen as a breakout player for Oklahoma this season following a strong spring performance. Ranked as the No. 10 wide receiver and No. 48 overall player in the transfer portal, Burks led Purdue with 47 receptions for 629 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He is expected to fill the role of Oklahoma’s starting slot receiver after the graduation of Drake Stoops.
Nwaiwu, another transfer, joined Oklahoma after three seasons at North Texas. The 6-foot-4, 326-pound lineman was a two-year starter at UNT and earned Freshman All-America honors in 2022. He is expected to start at right guard for Oklahoma’s restructured offensive line this fall.
Dolby started three games at the Cheetah position and appeared in all 13 games for Oklahoma last season. He recorded 49 tackles, including five for loss, along with four pass breakups and two interceptions, earning All-Big 12 honorable mention.
Nic Anderson had a standout redshirt freshman year, earning Freshman All-America honors and becoming Oklahoma’s second-leading receiver with 38 catches for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Farooq caught 45 passes for 694 yards and two touchdowns as a junior and served as the primary kick returner, averaging 22.1 yards on 19 returns before a foot injury in the spring. Ben Anderson played in all 13 games, handling long-snapping duties on punts and place-kicks, a role he is expected to continue this season.