4 players to watch for the Sooners against the Gators

The Oklahoma Sooners are hitting the road this week for their first-ever game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. OU is looking to bounce back this week against the Florida Gators, after suffering a disappointing loss last week.

Change has been the word of the week for the Sooners. On Monday, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ben Arbuckle was fired, and tight ends coach Jason Witten was elevated to interim offensive coordinator. His first game calling plays at the collegiate level will come in The Swamp on Saturday night.

Head coach Brent Venables is focused on helping his team finish out the 2026 season as best they can. That begins on Saturday, but he'll be leaning on a number of players on both sides of the ball to try and pull off the upset. Here are four players to watch for Oklahoma against Florida.

1. Hayden Hansen, TE

The Sooners have seen several players face their former teams this season. Linebacker Cole Sullivan's homecoming against Michigan resulted in a loss, but wide receiver Parker Livingstone was on hand when OU beat Texas. Now, tight end Hayden Hansen heads back to Florida after spending four years with the Gators.

With Witten now at the controls of the offense, the tight ends he coaches could get a bigger role. OU is expected to run the ball more now that Arbuckle is gone. Hansen is a blocking tight end, so if the Sooners lean heavily on the ground game, he'll have to show up as a blocker as well.

2. Whoever starts at quarterback

Arbuckle's departure could also signal a change at quarterback. Venables said everything was on the table earlier this week, but he also said the team believes in John Mateer. It very well could be Mateer under center this week, or Venables and Witten could move to Whitt Newbauer or Bowe Bentley.

Whoever plays quarterback this week will need to take care of the ball and execute the offense on the road in a hostile primetime environment. For the first time, the QBs will have Witten on the headset giving them the play-calls, as opposed to Arbuckle. Quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski will still mentor the signal-callers, and offensive analyst Blaise Bentsen will have a larger role now that Arbuckle is gone. It'll be interesting to see how the Sooners handle the QB spot for the rest of the season and beyond.

3. Ivan Carreon, WR

Wide receiver Ivan Carreon has missed a lot of the season due to injury, but he showed up late in last week's loss against South Carolina. Carreon scored two touchdowns and was getting open for Mateer. The Odessa (Texas) High School product could be in line for a larger role after that performance.

The Sooners are looking for anybody in the wide receiver room who can step up and be a consistent complement to Isaiah Sategna III. Against Kentucky, Manny Choice looked like the answer, but he's been quiet since that game. With Trell Harris still out and Elijah Thomas not looking like he'll be able to go this week, perhaps Carreon can continue to impress. Additionally, if Beers cannot play, Carreon could serve as a bigger body in the middle of the field passing game at 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds.

4. Michael Boganowski, DB

Defensive back Michael Boganowski logged his first career interception last week against South Carolina, and it was one of the few highlights the Sooners had in that game. The Oklahoma secondary is starting to get really banged up, as Courtland Guillory and Trystan Haynes are likely to again be the starting duo at cornerback. Jacobe Johnson is out, as is Dakoda Fields. Starter Eli Bowen is questionable to play against the Gators.

At safety, the Sooners will be very thin if starter Peyton Bowen (questionable) can't go, meaning Boganowski could be the senior member of the safety room in Gainesville. Omarion Robinson would start alongside him, with a pair of freshmen (Markel Ford and Niko Jandreau) behind them. With all of the injuries on offense, it's been lost in the shuffle just how injured the defensive backfield for the Sooners has been. They can't let it cost them again like it did last week.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 4 players to watch for the Sooners against the Gators