Insider notes on Oklahoma and Tennessee: John Mateer's draft grade, Joey Aguilar's projection, and more

The Sooners are coming off a terrible season and head coach Brett Venables needs a good campaign or he may be out of a job. Meanwhile, after much off season drama, the Volunteers hope to return to the college football playoffs, but the road will be difficult. Both teams have a large number of second day draft prospects on their depth chart.

Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners were given a rude welcoming to the SEC, finishing with a losing record for just the second time since 1998. Both of those instances came under head coach Brent Venables, who is on the hot seat this season. Former Senior Bowl director and friend Jim Nagy takes over as the Sooners general manager, and he’s brought in several talented transfers.

Oklahoma has not been able to get the quarterback position right since Caleb Williams left for USC with then-head coach Lincoln Riley. They hope Washington State transfer John Mateer is the solution, and on film, he looks to be the one. Mateer is a gifted athlete who beats opponents with his arm and his legs. He has next-level arm strength and puts speed on throws, shows the ability to get passes downfield and loses nothing throwing on the run. Mateer is also a threat running the ball, with the ability to make defenders miss and create yardage. I also like what’s going on between his ears, as Mateer does a terrific job with his reads and decision making.

The Sooners went out west for another top offensive transfer, bringing in running back Jaydn Ott from California. Ott had a tremendous campaign in 2023, proving he’s a home-run-hitting running back who beats defenders into the open field and can run to daylight. He possesses the size to grind it out on the inside as well as the agility to turn the corner, and Ott also catches the ball well out of the backfield. Most expected a big season from Ott in 2024, yet he was only a part-time player in the Cal offense and made the right choice returning to college for another season.

There are those in the scouting community who love receiver Deion Burks, grading him as a potential second-round choice. Burks has a compact build, plays with terrific quickness and possesses the speed needed to stretch the field. He separates from defenders, competes for the football and catches the ball well. He played in just five games last season and put up pedestrian numbers, catching 31 passes for 245 yards, which is why I have a fourth-round grade on him.

Gracen Halton and Damonic Williams are a terrific one-two punch in the middle of the Sooners defensive line, with Halton being the quick, explosive one-gap penetrator who makes plays behind the line of scrimmage and Williams being more the gap-occupying space eater.

R Mason Thomas is a hard-working edge rusher with terrific agility and intensity, yet he comes with average size and speed. I project him as a situational pass rusher/special-teams player on Sundays.

Oklahoma Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.88	2nd	QB	John Mateer	3Jr	10
3.54	4th	RB	Jaydn Ott	5Sr	1
3.58	4th	WR	Deion Burks	5Sr	6
3.48	5th	DT	Gracen Halton	4Sr	56
3.41	5th	DT	Damonic Williams	4Sr	52
3.38	6th	DE	R Mason Thomas	4Sr	32
3.32	6th	S	Robert Spears-Jennings	4Sr	3
3.32	6th	OLB	Kendal Daniels	5Sr	5
3.31	6th	T	Jacob Sexton	4Sr	76
3.22	FA	G	Febechi Nwaiwu	5Sr	54
3.21	FA	DE	Marvin Jones Jr.	4Sr	8
3.19	FA	S	Kendel Dolby	5Sr	15
3.18	FA	T	Derek Simmons	5Sr	66
3.15	FA	RB	Jovantae Barnes	4Sr	2

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Tennessee Volunteers

The Volunteers made the College Football Playoff, then all hell broke loose in the offseason. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was in essence dismissed from the team after a squabble over money, and the team went scrambling for a signal caller. Though it’s unlikely the team will have a player selected in the first round as they did this past April, the Vols still have a lot of next-level talent on the roster.

Jermod McCoy has been ranked as a potential first-round pick by some, and while I like his game and upside, he’s not top-32 material at present time. McCoy is physical, fast and works hard to make plays. He’s feisty and does not back down to a challenge, in coverage or defending screen passes. McCoy is also not afraid to come off his assignments if it means making a big play. He’s very effective facing the action, but for the most part, he does too much face guarding and does not consistently track the ball in the air. McCoy must polish his ball skills and complete his game.

Tennessee has two good pass rushers on the defensive line. Josh Josephs is a smaller edge rusher who will get consideration at outside linebacker. He’s fast up the field and athletic, and he makes plays all over the field. Joseph is tough as nails and plays hard, but at the same time he’s instinctive and does more than mindlessly rush up the field. His frame, which tips the scales at 245 pounds, is something that must be dealt with as to his Sunday projection.

Bryson Eason made the right choice returning to Tennessee for another season and will now be the man on the interior of the Volunteers defensive line. He’s an explosive first-step defensive tackle who plays with terrific leverage and force. Eason must play hard on every down and start to produce, as I have him rated much higher than scouts, yet I love the flashes he shows and his upside.

Quarterback Joey Aguilar and cornerback Jalen McMurray are two PFAs/late-rounders to keep an eye on.

Aguilar comes over from Appalachian State and takes over for the departed Iamaleava. He possesses a solid arm and good head for the game. I always believed he was underrated and look forward to watching him play under a terrific quarterback coach.

McMurray originally played at Temple before transferring to Tennessee, and while he’s never been a consistent starter, he’s been productive in nickel and dime packages. He shows terrific ball skills and could really make his mark with more playing time this season.

Tennessee Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.76	3rd	CB	Jermod McCoy	3Jr	3
3.69	3rd	DE	Josh Josephs	4Sr	19
3.58	4th	DT	Bryson Eason	5Sr	20
3.48	5th	ILB	Arion Carter	3Jr	7
3.44	5th	TE	Miles Kitselman	4Sr	87
3.16	FA	DT	Tyre West	4Sr	42
3.11	FA	QB	Joey Aguilar	5Sr	4
3.06	FA	CB	Jalen McMurray	5Sr	7
3.05	FA	CB	Rickey Gibson III	3Jr	1