Oklahoma Sooners Football: Addison Gumbs is transferring from OU

According to Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma Sooners outside linebacker Addison Gumbs is leaving the program. Gumbs was slated to be a major contributor and potential starter before suffering a season-ending non-contact injury in the lead-up to OU’s season opener against Florida Atlantic. The story was first reported by Carey Murdock of SoonerScoop.com

While Gumbs obviously was no longer part of the equation in 2018, he was originally listed as a potential starter at the JACK position — along with Mark Jackson — on OU’s initial depth chart. Additionally, he’s a player with tremendous upside who would have easily contended for the spot in 2019 and beyond. In short, this loss is a tough blow.

The Hayward (Calif.) Stellar Prep product was a four-star prospect and No. 128 overall player in the 2017 class, and he chose to sign with the Sooners over Texas A&M, UCLA and plenty of others. As a freshman in 2017, Gumbs appeared in four games and record eight tackles at JACK while backing up Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Mark Jackson.

Where will OU go from here in the future? Well, Mark Jackson is still only a junior and could be the starter at the position for the next couple of seasons, and redshirt sophomore Jon-Michael Terry is also an option for the foreseeable future after making the switch from MIKE. Of course, ballyhooed true freshman Jalen Redmond has experienced issues with blood clots and will miss this season, but he figures to have the highest upside — provided that he’s eventually given the go-ahead by the doctors. Another young option is K’Jakyre Daley, a 2017 signee who also has some nice upside. For the 2019 class, Oklahoma has a commitment from four-star prospect Joseph Weté, who could easily figure into the JACK equation in the future.