Sooners' defensive back Billy Bowman speaks to the media after practice on Dec. 12, 2023.
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00:00 Excited it's obviously a great opportunity for me, you know being a
00:03 Freshman just kind of getting real experience before you know the SEC next year. So I'm super pumped up for this opportunity
00:09 Not much just more reps at practice what's your relationship been like with Seth?
00:20 It's been good. I've been close to coach since he got here
00:24 Constant communication since he's got here and he's helped me develop as a player even
00:30 Even not in the OC role and you know, it's been great to get to know him and I'm super happy
00:35 He's our OC now. Did Dylan have any message for you when he left?
00:38 Yeah, he just told me just you know, have fun and ball out and I hope you know
00:42 I hope you see him down the line next year
00:44 Are there some extra nerves that come with knowing this bowl game? You know, you have two whole weeks to think about it leading up
00:50 I think definitely day up. There'll be a lot more nerves than normal, but I'm right now. I'm just staying level-headed
00:56 I'm just getting prepped for the bowl game right now
00:59 You have to step back and reevaluate things at all when coach Levy left or was it never an incision?
01:04 You know, there's always
01:06 Stuff to reevaluate when change happens obviously left coach Levy. I miss skiing his coaching what he had to offer for me
01:13 But um, you know when he went to Mississippi State and especially with who we hired I knew I was in the right spot
01:18 How much did that BYU experience help you going into this bowl game rather if he hadn't played since September I
01:26 Mean right. I mean, I don't know now, but I'm sure when I get to the ball game
01:30 I'll be grateful of my experience at BYU, you know getting put in and crunch time in a probably not ideal situation
01:36 I think it'll be
01:53 No doubt, you know practice like you gotta you gotta practice but you know as a backup
01:58 It does kind of suck a little bit coming out knowing you're not the guy and you're taking less reps and there's obviously a
02:04 Bigger excitement level coming out, you know, no one here the guy and no one you're gonna go out and play
02:09 This year in those last couple weeks, I'm just helping me out with with run schemes
02:23 He was he was big in that part of the game plan at UNT
02:26 about run schemes
02:28 So just kind of teaching me how some of those work, you know, and honestly
02:33 For me and him we were both kind of learning together in the spring
02:37 He's coming in trying to learn coach Levy's terminology. And so was I so we kind of fed off each other in the spring
02:42 Seeing a lot of portal movement at the running back position on the offensive line
02:47 How do you build chemistry at these practices leading up to the bowl game with a lot of new faces?
02:51 I'm just getting reps of these guys and we've got we've got a couple new faces
02:55 Some young guys might get some opportunity in the bowl game, but just getting reps of them right now
03:00 I'm just first couple weeks. We're not even really in bowl prep. Yeah, you know like we're not even in game prep
03:05 Yeah, we're kind of just
03:07 Getting back in the groove of things now, but getting reps of these guys early on what happens
03:11 Did you have a pretty good idea that Dylan was gonna leave or were you sort of waiting on his decision?
03:17 wait on his decision I
03:19 I didn't know where he was gonna go with his decision
03:23 I mean like for or NFL or coming back in the year
03:27 I really didn't know but I'm you know, I'm super happy for Dylan and he's got a great opportunity and a great future ahead of him
03:33 With the way quarterbacking is around college football. Most people don't sit around but you fit it come back
03:38 We prepared to have to move on or what was your mindset on that?
03:42 I mean, you know, I would have had to evaluate where I was at here for sure
03:46 I'm there was no I was not swayed either which way and what I would have done but um
03:52 You know, obviously when something like that happens, you have to take a step back and see it appears that everybody in charge here has supreme
03:59 Trust and confidence in you in other words
04:02 There's not a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth that they lost a quarterback like Dylan Gabriel
04:07 Is that you take that as a sign of respect for what you can do?
04:11 I definitely you know having the coaches trust is a huge thing for me
04:15 And you know knowing that the coaches are trusting me to go out before my best and they're not, you know
04:20 Changing the game plan whatsoever, you know, we're running the same stuff and we were in the same stuff
04:26 Dylan was here too. So just that trust they have in me is really special to me
04:30 What what is the biggest thing you learned from Dylan or biggest things?
04:34 I want to say Dylan kind of taught me how to
04:38 Be a you know, like a really good college quarterback to perform at the highest level
04:42 I mean he had a stellar year this past year in the way he handled himself
04:45 It was it was super awesome to see like not only him as a player, but him as a person handle everything
04:51 It just kind of taught me, you know to be calm collected level-headed and then you know off the field
04:56 He helped me out with learning the offense whether that was, you know installing plays or you know key and defenses and defensive recognition
05:04 He helped me out with with all that
05:07 Comfort you feel when you look across, you know, you have Danny and Billy both coming back next year along with you
05:13 Yeah, that's huge having experience got like that heading into the SEC is obviously a big for our defense
05:18 And you know, I think our defense is gonna take a step forward next year because of that
05:21 What do you think of the video? I thought it was awesome
05:24 I was actually with our when Danny posted that I was with our camera people just talking to them
05:29 And we were just talking about the video, but they did a great job on it. And I thought it was hilarious
05:33 It was very a Danny like
05:35 Have you learned much about Seth in the couple of practice?
05:38 What kind of coordinator he's gonna be or how different a little bit, you know
05:45 It's hard for coach the child because we're still going off of Levy's plays and his terminology right now
05:51 So I won't see coach the trail kind of take over and implement his style step on that till the spring
05:58 But so far I've seen him step into a more vocal role
06:01 Especially in our meeting rooms and that was something I was very curious to see, you know
06:05 No him coming from an analyst to the position as a OC now
06:09 I was curious to that transition and I think he's stepped up and been a more vocal leader for us
06:13 I've had two different guys talk about him and one said
06:15 Big on the run loves a running game. The other guy said he loves to throw he's gonna throw it all over the place
06:21 Can you break the tie? He's very balanced
06:24 Yeah, I mean he loves to run the ball. He loves to throw the ball. There's not nothing
06:28 There's not one thing he specializes in but you know being a being an H back and see was he's a tough guy
06:34 So obviously, you know, he's gonna love you run the ball, but he's a very balanced OC. I'm super excited to work with him
06:40 You can no doubt the first day of meetings just stepping up and
06:53 Addressing us was he was very calm. I'm had a very strong and poised demeanor about him. You can tell
06:59 It's the theory the end of the season
07:05 This bowl prep and the game itself. It almost feels like the start of a new season a little bit changes
07:11 Yeah, the first two practices like yesterday the day before we're a little off, you know
07:16 Having a new OC not having Dylan here. It was a little little off the energy was off a little bit
07:21 But I think today was was big for us
07:24 For sure just you know meetings today were great practice day for the offense was great in my eyes
07:40 Yeah, just being more comfortable and getting used to people around us
07:49 Shoot it's it's it's hard to say because you know being a backup all year. It's
07:54 It's it's a weird position for me to kind of step up and be a leader in that position
07:59 But now I feel like I not to step up and be a vocal leader
08:02 And just you know kind of be the glue for his office heading to the ballgame
08:05 High school in Denton now, where were you of what Seth was doing North Texas with Mason fine and that kind of group
08:12 Yeah, the the past couple of years before I got up here, you know
08:16 You could obviously we're so close to North Texas you hear about it all the time
08:20 But I mean they were having a bunch of success, especially offensively. So I mean
08:24 Obviously coach the trails running that offense there. So I'm super excited
08:28 Back one here exactly one year ago today. You're getting ready to sign with Oklahoma
08:33 What are you running about the lead the week leading in the signing day?
08:36 And are you where you thought you'd be a year later?
08:38 Gosh that was it's kind of weird that it was a year ago today. It honestly feels like it's flying by
08:45 And
08:47 Yeah, I'm exactly where I thought I'd be a year from now
08:49 Maybe not, you know
08:51 I thought Dylan would be here playing the ballgame and this year is pretty much gone as I've expected
08:56 But you know, maybe the ballgame me playing it was a little bit of a shock, but I'm super excited for it
09:01 What would it mean to you to help get this team to an 11th win before heading to the SEC?
09:06 It'd mean a ton and especially just create momentum for next year to you know
09:10 Get in the first win with our with our new Oh staff because you know, it's it's pretty revamped
09:15 Coach Webb took a couple guys and the Oh staff rooms different it is. I mean we obviously have guys here that we've had
09:22 The entire year but just getting a win with this staff
09:26 This is gonna create a lot of momentum for us heading into the spring and heading into next year
09:35 Treated differently in the locker room going from the backup to the starter. Has there been any sort of moments? You're like
09:41 Not really all the guys have treated me the same stuff got here. I'm super grateful. They're all they've all been great for me
09:50 Great teammates all around. So, um, yeah
09:53 Has there been any?
09:56 Things that have happened that you realize. Oh, we're talking about, you know, QB one or the starter like that's me now
10:02 Like yeah, people people will throw some QB ones every once in a while. It kind of throws me off a little bit
10:07 But other than that, they've been acting the same
10:09 The portal is a different animal and you came into school with Kaden Green
10:14 What do you wish for Kaden moving forward when you hear news like that we heard today? Yeah, that's um
10:20 Honestly, I
10:22 We haven't heard anything about that really so that's kind of for the coaches to say I don't I honestly don't even know
10:28 Anything about that really?
10:30 What does it mean to have I'm sorry to ask about this before but like the Kaden Walter
10:35 Being on that offensive line your offensive line could have got really young real fast
10:38 Yeah, with guys transferring on maybe doing opt-outs. What's the mean of those guys?
10:43 It's big having an experience in the o-line
10:45 Especially being seniors like they are just kind of helping those young freshmen
10:51 The younger guys just kind of knowing their assignments and just helping the night in game
10:59 We've
11:01 Talked a lot about coach little trouble. What's your relationship with coach Finley like it's been good. It's always been good
11:06 Especially like even when I was being recruited
11:08 I was pretty close to coach family and we've only built on that since I've got here
11:12 She gets a chance to watch Mason fine the way he played football unity. Did you follow him?
11:16 I did and I really didn't follow you and team much like in-depth like that
11:20 But you know, you obviously knew of the success especially when they beat Arkansas
11:23 I forgot what year that was but you know the success they're having because we're so close to them
11:27 but I never you know went to games or
11:29 specifically focused on
11:32 What how much interaction did you have with much or I don't know what he was allowed
11:39 Yeah on the field there. They can't coach you but I'm off the field, you know, just kind of picking his brain
11:46 Sam you know way
11:49 Was big for me and like I said, we were learning the office together
11:52 So yeah, it kind of helped build that chemistry between us
11:56 No, nothing like that but um just kind of getting to know him through you know big meetings and stuff like that
12:06 Thanks, guys.