The Oklahoma Sooners have begun fall camp. It’s the final piece of the offseason puzzle before the season is upon us once again.
OU enters Year 3 under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and leaves the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] in favor of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in 2024. The Sooners are looking to build on positive momentum after going 10-3 in 2023, improving from a disastrous 6-7 season in 2022.
One of the newest names on the Sooners roster will also be one of the key pieces for 2024. Defensive lineman [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] transferred to OU from TCU during the spring [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] window. Williams was one of the most sought-after players in the portal and a huge win for Venables and defensive tackles coach [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag]. Williams not only filled a need in Norman post-spring football at defensive tackle, but he represents a massive NIL victory for Oklahoma as well.
The much-anticipated arrival made his Oklahoma media debut on Thursday after practice, speaking with the OU media. Naturally, the conversation turned to his commitment to the Sooners, and he was able to shed a little light on his decision.
“I feel like out of all the head coaches I met, BV, he’s probably most definitely the best one,” Williams said. “He’s such a hands-on coach and not a CEO-minded head coach where they’re just watching practice. No, he’s getting in practice, he’s chewing people out if they’re doing the wrong thing, it’s something that I love about this place.”
#Sooners DL Damonic Williams said his mother told him either they’re going to OU together or she was going to.
Williams, one of the most sought after DL in the portal, also said Brent Venables was the best coach he met during the process. pic.twitter.com/RoxsRshzjH
— Colton Sulley (@colton_sulley) August 1, 2024
Williams certainly has Venables pegged, as that hands-on intensity and fire is what has carried the coach throughout his entire career. But Venables wasn’t the only reason that Williams chose OU over plenty of other suitors.
“Actually on my first official visit here, at the end of the visit, my mom was like, “Either you’re going (to OU) and I’m going with you, or I’m just gonna go by myself”, so that was already a deciding factor,” Williams said. “For my mom it was the family-oriented environment, and for me it was the same thing, but also what I could do in this defense.”
Williams and his mother clearly saw the family-centric mindset that Venables and his staff have been trying to create since arriving at Oklahoma. Williams should also be able to wreak havoc in the trenches, giving the Sooners a defensive tackle that can win off the line in the SEC.
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