If there’s one position group on the Oklahoma Sooners that has the biggest question marks, it’s the defensive line. Losing three potential top-100 draft picks — Nik Bonitto, Perrion Winfrey and Isaiah Thomas — creates a big void that Brent Venables, Ted Roof, Todd Bates and Miguel Chavis will attempt to solve this spring.
In the first steps to fill the void on the defensive interior, the Sooners brought in Jeffrey Johnson from Tulane. He is more of a nose tackle, providing bulk in the middle of the Sooners defensive front and helping remake the Sooners defense as Venables would like it to look.
Taking a look at transfers who are set to make an impact in 2022, Mike Huguenin of On3 Sports discussed 12 Group of Five players he expects will play a significant role for their new Power Five teams next season. Here’s what he had to say about Jeffrey Johnson.
The Sooners are losing a lot of talent up front, and while there are some holdovers who can play, Johnson should be an effective one-season “rental.” His bulk — he played at 300 pounds with Tulane — will be appreciated. Johnson was a three-year starter for the Green Wave. He had 44 tackles this season, along with five tackles for loss. Johnson had 33 tackles and six TFL in 2020, when he also was a full-time starter. He also started six games in 2019 as a sophomore after starting 11 times as a true freshman in 2018. In all, he had eight sacks and 15 tackles for loss at Tulane. – Huguenin, On3 Sports
Johnson brings a significant amount of experience and production to the Oklahoma Sooners and should plug in next to Jalen Redmond to start on the Sooners defensive front.
Every college experiences a certain amount of turnover, but it creates a significant challenge in Venables’ first year as the head coach at Oklahoma. Johnson should help mitigate the effects of the Sooners departing for the NFL and boost the Sooners’ run defense.
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