Tulsa’s 2022 football team will return over 3,200 career passing yards from redshirt senior quarterback Davis Brin.
To whom Brin will throw the ball is a question coach Philip Montgomery will seek clarity for during his team’s 15-practice schedule.
TU’s spring practices kick off Tuesday at H.A. Chapman Stadium and will conclude with the spring game on April 9.
Josh Johnson, TU’s 2021 leading pass-catcher who declared his NFL draft eligibility Dec. 21 via Twitter, left Montgomery with 83 catches, 1,114 receiving yards and six touchdowns to replace. The departure of Sam Crawford Jr., a graduate transfer to Rice who caught 27 passes for 472 yards in 2021, will increase the necessity for TU to establish the best among its returning receiving corps this spring.
“If you look at the receiver spot with Keylan (Stokes) and (JuanCarlos Santana) coming back, those are the guys with the most experience, guys that we can really build around,” Montgomery said during a virtual press conference Friday, “guys that know and have been on the game field and got a lot of reps and have been in a lot of different situations.”
Santana, a graduate student, caught 51 passes for 689 yards and four touchdowns in 2021. He caught a 37-yard desperation heave from Brin against Tulane to send the Golden Hurricane to overtime against the Green Wave in 2020. TU went on to defeat Tulane 30-24 in double overtime.
Also a graduate, Stokes appeared in four games last season before an injury sidelined him the remainder of the season. In 2020, Stokes led the Hurricane with 644 receiving yards, hauling in 46 catches en route to second-team all-American Athletic Conference recognition.
“Those two guys, from an experience standpoint, will be the guys kind of leading it, but we feel like we’ve got good pieces to kind of fit in and around that part of it,” Montgomery said.
Graduate student Ezra Naylor II will return for the Hurricane this spring. He caught 33 passes and three touchdowns last season.
Farmer’s early challenges
A new face to TU’s staff, Steve Farmer, will lead the offensive linemen responsible for keeping Brin’s jersey clean. He will also be tasked with accounting for the movement Chris Paul and Tyler Smith produced for the Hurricane before declaring themselves draft-eligible.
Paul and Smith, along with Johnson, will represent TU at the NFL combine this week.
Farmer, a Coweta native, comes to TU by way of Texas Tech, where six of his linemen were named to All-Big 12 teams during a three-year stint in Lubbock. In each of his first two seasons at Tech, Farmer’s unit ranked among the top 30 nationally in fewest sacks allowed.
“Steve’s done a nice job since he’s been here,” Montgomery said. “You look at what his production has been and the teams that he’s coached, and he’s done a nice job there.”
Defensive adjustments
Luke Olson said he plans to modify TU’s trademark 3-3-5 formation in his first spring at the helm of the Hurricane defense. He was promoted to defensive coordinator Jan. 18 after 10 seasons in various roles for TU.
“Obviously, I’m excited to add some tweaks to (the defense) and to continue to run it to get better at it,” Olson said Friday. “I think it will look similar in a lot of areas. You know, there’s some things that I’ve always kind of kept in my hip pocket that when I got my shot, I wanted to tweak.”
“From top-to-bottom, it will look very similar,” Olson says.
Olson was partially responsible for ushering in the 3-3-5 in 2018, assisting former TU defensive coordinators Joseph Gillespie and Bill Young. The nickel safety, a position known for its dynamic responsibilities within the 3-3-5, was Olson’s gig before his promotion.
Goodlow, TU’s anchor
Montgomery and Olson agreed that redshirt senior Anthony Goodlow will be a significant piece on TU’s defensive interior after the transfer of Jaxon Player — who led the Hurricane with 14 tackles-for-loss in 2021 — to Baylor.
“(Goodlow) is a guy that’s really stepped up over the years,” Olson said. “Expect his role to become even larger this spring and fall.”
“(Goodlow) is a guy that is dynamic no matter where you put him, a guy that continues to get better,” Montgomery said. “He will be the anchor point of our defensive line to start with.”
A look at OU, OSU and TU football transfers announced during the 2022 offseason
OL Hunter Anthony
DL Noah Arinze
OL Cade Bennett
CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
QB Davis Beville
OL Dante Bivens
OL Jason Brooks Jr.
CB C.J. Coldon
OL Casey Collier
WR Sam Crawford Jr.
WR Marcellus Crutchfield
WR Isaiah Epps
S Pat Fields
QB Dillon Gabriel
OT Tyler Guyton
WR Jadon Haselwood
WR JJ Hester
QB Shane Illingworth
WR Cody Jackson
RB Dezmon Jackson
DT Jayden Jernigan
NT Jeffery Johnson
DL Deven Lamp
DL Jonah La'ulu
DB Gabe Lemons
LS Jake Mann
DL Ian Marshall (walk-on)
S Tanner McCalister
CB Latrell McCutchin
OL McKade Mettauer
OL Monroe Mills
LB Jamal Morris
DB Trey Morrison
OL Prince Pines
DL Jaxon Player
WR Matt Polk
QB Spencer Rattler
DE/OLB Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge
LB T.D. Roof
WR Jonathan Shepard
OL Darrell Simpson
TE Austin Stogner
WR Haydon Wiginton (walk-on)
QB Caleb Williams
WR Mario Williams
OL Tyrese Williams
OSU's Mike Gundy on transfer portal
Sooners WR Jalil Farooq on former OU quarterback Caleb Williams: 'He made a decision, I made mine.'
The Golden Hurricane will be well-represented at the 2022 NFL Combine, which starts Tuesday.
Josh Johnson, a 5-foot-11 receiver; Chris Paul, a 6-foot-4 tackle; and Tyler Smith, a 6-foot-6 tackle; will compete at the annual scouting event at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Scouts from all 32 NFL teams will be present to observe over 300 draft prospects.
"You look at what our program has been able to do," TU coach Philip Montgomery said. "You know, we've had guys drafted in each of the last several years. I see that same scenario happening again this year."
Johnson appeared in 34 games in three seasons for TU, recorded six games with 100-plus receiving yards and racked up 2,108 yards in a Golden Hurricane uniform.
Paul started 38 games in four seasons, both at guard and tackle. He was named a second team all-American Athletic Conference selection in 2020.
Smith started 23 games at TU and was named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and The Athletic in 2020.
Tulsa’s JuanCarlos Santana had 51 receptions for 689 yards and four touchdowns last season. He is expected to be a big part of the Hurricane’s passing game in 2022 as well.