Oklahoma Rallying Around Seniors for Home Finale

The Sooners will honor a senior class with members that have endured a coaching change, a conference change and the pandemic against No. 7 Alabama.

Oklahoma defensive back Woodi Washington. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

NORMAN — Saturday, Oklahoma fans will have a chance to say goodbye to a number of longtime servants to the program. 

The contest against No. 7 Alabama will serve as Senior Day, but a handful of Sooners who will be playing their last game on Owen Field stand out. 

In the era of the transfer portal, Woodi Washington, Billy Bowman, Danny Stutsman, Ethan Downs and Jalil Farooq stayed. 

All stayed through the transition from Lincoln Riley to Brent Venables, and then they stayed again this year to help OU’s transition into the SEC. 

Washington, who arrived before any other Sooner, even saw college football change before and after the pandemic. 

“They’ve just been fantastic. Completely bought-in,” Venables said on Tuesday. “They’ve been the example when it comes to the work, the investment, the love for their opportunity and their teammates, the locker room. They’ve enriched it in every way. 

“They’ve grown as men in every way that you’d want to, as a coach and as a parent. Incredibly proud of their contributions from a football standpoint, but what a great legacy that all of them have left from a ‘this is what it looks like’ (standpoint) to pour into the program and to make the most of their opportunities, squeeze all the juice out of it that you can.”

OU’s season hasn’t gone to plan. 

The Sooners are sitting at 5-5 overall, 1-5 in SEC play, and still need one more win to head to a bowl game. 

But all of that will be secondary on Saturday night. 

Oklahoma wants to beat Alabama, as every program does, for themselves. Knocking off the Crimson Tide for the seniors, however, would be the cherry on top. 

“It'd be huge,” OU quarterback Jackson Arnold said. “… We have a bunch of seniors that aren't gonna be here next year, and so for them, I think we've lost a handful of games this year in the Palace and that's honestly not acceptable for this program and this standard. So sending them off with one last win would be very special.”

Washington has had a couple of Senior Days that he thought would be his last. 

This past offseason, he decided to return one more time to show off his versatility, but also to finish what he started in Norman. 

Venables didn’t recruit Washington to campus, but he’s been thrilled by the veteran defensive back’s growth on and off the field over the past three years. 

“He's just as loyal as they come,” Venables said. “He cares deeply about this place and his opportunity, his teammates. We don't have a better leader, a guy that pours into his teammates more than Woodi. Great humility. 'Coach, I'll play wherever you want me to play.' 

“He's been a guy that's plugged into a lot of different spots for us, has always been ready, great competitor, great example for the younger players of what leading looks like and again, to me, great leaders are ones that can reproduce it, and that's what he's intentionally tried to do and has done.”

Now that his final game on Owen Field is finally here, Washington said he’s feeling the urgency of his Oklahoma career coming to a close. 

"It means everything. Going out with a W,” he said. “We want to win this game, not only for us but for this program and Coach V and the coaching staff, as well. Just going out with a bang. 

“It's been a long year. It's been rough. If we can just go out and win this game, I know it'll be really important to all the guys."

Regardless of the outcome against Alabama or LSU, Venables said he’s proud of his senior class, and he’s especially thankful of those that stayed to help him lay the foundation for his Oklahoma return. 

“They’ve been as consistent people in this program, players in this program, as you could ever want them to be,” Venables said. “Really thankful. I love these guys like they’re my own kids. Proud of all their accomplishments and know they’re gonna go dominate after their careers here are finished.”