Oklahoma 2024 Report Cards: Cornerbacks Got Shifted Around ... and Got Better

A season-ending injury to Gentry Williams and inconsistent play by others necessitated a youth movement to Eli Bowen.

Oklahoma cornerback Eli Bowen / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

It may sound counterintuitive in football terms, but when experience and guile didn’t work out, Oklahoma turned to youth and confidence at cornerback.

And what a difference it made.

With sixth year senior Woodi Washington moved primarily to cheetah linebacker and projected starter Gentry Williams out for the year after just two games with another shoulder injury, cornerbacks coach Jay Valai and head coach Brent Venables turned to fourth-year junior Kani Walker and San Diego State senior transfer Dez Malone for most of the early reps in 2024.

But while an improved front seven, led by All-American linebacker Danny Stutsman, was great against the run, OU’s pass defense was often porous and, over the course of the season, Valai was forced to make several changes at the cornerback spot.

That’s when true freshman Eli Bowen became an unlikely star.

Read More: Oklahoma 2024 Report Cards

• Dec. 30: Special teams
• Dec. 31: Defensive tackle
• Jan. 1: Running back
• Jan. 2: Offensive line
• Jan. 3: Defensive end
• Jan. 4: Linebacker
• Jan. 5: Tight end
• Jan. 6: Cornerback
• Jan. 7: Wide receiver
• Jan. 8: Safety
• Jan. 9: Quarterback
• Jan. 10: Coaches

Bowen, younger brother of sophomore safety Peyton Bowen and a 3-star prospect from Denton Guyer High School, started Week 6 against Texas and never left the starting lineup. He instantly became the Sooners’ best corner and, through a few growing pains, remained so all season thanks to instinctive coverage and fearless tackling. He replaced Malone on one side and finished the season with 510 total defensive snaps, 404 at corner, according to Pro Football Focus.

Bowen’s overall PFF grade for the season was 80.5, which was the highest by any Sooner defender this season. That included a coverage grade of 78.1 (also a team-high) and a run defense grade of 85.4 (third among players with at least 200 snaps). Bowen’s receivers drew 40 targets and he gave up just 22 receptions, for 235 yards, or just 10.7 yards per catch. 

Walker got the start in the first eight games opposite Malone and Bowen, but his snap counts dwindled until he was replaced by sophomore Jacobe Johnson, who made two starts before yielding the job back to Malone. Walker finished with 424 defensive snaps, including 379 at wide corner, according to Pro Football Focus.

After playing just 65 snaps in his first season at OU in 2022 (he posted a PFF grade of 66.5), the former Louisville transfer posted a PFF overall defensive grade of 69.3 in 2023. But that dropped to 58.7 this season —17th on the team among players with 200 snaps, and as Walker occasionally struggled in coverage — particularly on deep and intermediate routes. His man was targeted 31 times and he gave up 14 receptions for 263 yards — 18.8 yards per catch. That included a 66-yard touchdown and a 48-yard touchdown in back-to-back weeks. For the season, Walker posted a PFF grade of just 55.9 in coverage. 

Malone, who played more than 1,200 snaps in his two seasons at San Diego State, finished this year with 371 total defensive snaps. He started four of the first five games, then moved to a backup role behind Bowen before starting the final two games against Alabama and LSU. He then apparently suffered an undisclosed injury and didn’t play in the Armed Forces Bowl. 

Malone was targeted 31 times, gave up 20 receptions for 203 yards and was solid in coverage until he got tagged for 31- and 34-yard completions against Auburn and Ole Miss. He posted an overall PFF grade of 73.7, among the best on the team, and his coverage grade of 74.0 ranked second only behind Bowen’s.

Johnson was in the rotation all season and played well but drew his first collegiate start against Maine and was back in the lineup the following game against Missouri. Those were two of his lowest-graded games of the season, according to PFF, and Malone replaced him as a starter against the Crimson Tide. 

Johnson got 237 defensive snaps this season, with highs of 40 against Maine and Navy and 38 against Mizzou. His man was targeted 17 times and he gave up 14 receptions for 237 yards — 16.9 yards per catch — including season-long completions of 47 and 33 in his two starts. He graded out at just 50.3 overall, 43.4 in coverage.

Washington, who played 2,943 snaps in his career at OU, only lined up at corner for 86 snaps this season after playing there 756 and 768 the previous two seasons. His final career start, against Navy in the bowl game, was at corner. 

Washington’s overall PFF grade this year was a career-low 55.7, as he allowed 22 receptions on 28 targets for 326 yards (14.8 yards per completion). He also posted a career-high 21.9 missed tackle percentage (7 missed tackles on 32 attempts). Washington’s overall PFF grade was just 55.7, with a coverage grade of just 48.2.

By the end of the season, the lineup had changed even more. Sophomore Makari Vickers, who got in trouble in the offseason, played in only two games (nine snaps total) and transferred before the bowl game. An injury to Malone pushed true freshmen Devon Jordan and Jeremiah Newcombe into the two-deep for Navy. Newcombe, however, only played three games this year (Temple, South Carolina and Maine), while Jordan played in just four (Temple, Texas, South Carolina and Maine).

Walker transferred to Arkansas, Vickers to Colorado and Jayden Rowe (who didn’t play this season) transferred to Kansas State. Washington and Malone exhausted their eligibility, leaving Williams, Johnson and Bowen in the rotation and Newcombe and Jordan as backups along with 2025 freshmen Trystan Haynes, Courtland Guillory and Maliek Hawkins to battle it out next fall.

And as Bowen proved this season, next year’s freshmen should not be counted out.

Sooners On SI grade: B-