Crimson Countdown: No. 59 Savion Byrd
The Crimson Countdown is officially on for the 2023 Oklahoma football season. It’s the second season under head coach Brent Venables and expectations are high once again. The Sooners are looking to rebound from the uncharacteristic 6-7 season in 2022.
Every day as we get closer to kickoff, SoonerScoop.com will count down the days with you. Starting with No. 98 and working our way to No. 0, we’ll be there every step of the way.
Crimson Countdown: No. 59 Savion Byrd
2022 stats: Played in 10 games primarily on special teams and in a reserve offensive line role.
2023 outlook: The time is now for Savion Byrd to take the next step. Oklahoma fans saw the redshirt freshman make his first career start in the Sooners Cheez-It Bowl loss to Florida State and there was a lot to like.
“Everybody has a shot,” Byrd said this past spring. “It’s just knowing what to do with your shot. I’ve had my shots. I don’t want to say I didn’t have a shot or anything like that, but now I’m doing something with them.”
Byrd enters his third season in Norman in decent standing to become a heavy contributor on Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line. Weight has been an issue for the Duncanville product, but his nasty on the field is apparent when given the chance.
“It was just like, who is Savion Byrd? Where did he come from? I had to go strong for Sooner Nation,” said Byrd when asked by SoonerScoop.com during the spring. “It was more of like a standard, like a measuring point for me to see where I was at. That was my first time really playing football like that in so long. It was like a progress report, see where I was at heading into next year.”
2023 interior offensive line outlook
Oklahoma’s interior offensive line is interesting for a multitude of reasons. You have returning starters Andrew Raym and McKade Mettauer. You have transfer portal additions in Miami Ohio’s Caleb Shaffer and Appalachian State’s Troy Everett. Byrd fits into the big picture fairly easily, if weight can not only be added but maintained. There could be a lot of movement between guard-center-guard in the early portion of 2023 and perhaps that’s a good thing moving forward.
