While much has been made about the Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive pursuits through the portal with receivers and quarterbacks, should the Oklahoma Sooners also be looking at defensive backs?
The defensive backs weren’t horrible when largely healthy but the Sooners lost their two most trusted players on the back end to the NFL Draft (Delarrin Turner-Yell) and Stanford (Pat Fields). While reports of Jay Valai being the next Sooners defensive backs coach are out there, the Sooners may see defensive backs hit the portal before and after his hiring as guys look for a fresh start. They could also feel as if a new coach may not afford them the same chances they may have thought they would get with Roy manning or Alex Grinch still in the fold.
The Sooners still need game-ready bodies back in the secondary. While they have some talented incoming freshman set to join the squad, the Oklahoma Sooners shouldn’t go into 2022 relying on true freshman on the back end.
Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a few names that may fit just what the Sooners could be looking for.
Eric Reed, CB
The first name that stands out as part of the current potential portal possibilities is Eric Reed. Reed is a cornerback out of Louisiana who left the state to go play for the Auburn Tigers.
Out of high school, many weren’t sure where his best fit was but he can play high-level football at a multitude of positions in the secondary. He’s not played much in college but why not get a fresh start and give him the chance to earn his stripes under a new coach with no preconceived notions about him at all?
Trey Morrison, DB
Trey Morrison is probably the opposite of Reed in the sense that Morrison has played a lot of snaps at the college level. Morrison appeared in 11 games as a true freshman for the North Carolina Tar Heels, starting 10, at nickelback in 2019. That season, he totaled 46 tackles, two sacks, 5.5 TFL, and four pass breakups.
In 2020, he started all 12 games at defensive back and was All-ACC Honorable Mention which included 39 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, three PBU, and one INT. While physically he’s not the biggest player, he’s productive and he’s very experienced.
Over four seasons, Morrison has played in 44 games in college. He gives the Sooners a veteran presence and more position versatility as they ook to retool and rest their secondary going into the 2022 season.
Darion Green-Warren, CB
If you’ve followed the Sooners on the recruiting trail, this name will probably ring a bell. Darion Green-Warren was at one time a hard Sooners recruit. He was recruited most heavily by Kerry Cooks who is no longer with the program.
Green-Warren decommited following the hiring of Alex Grinch in 2019 after being committed to the Sooners for almost an entire year. He would eventually end up at Michigan in 2020 and put his name in the transfer portal recently.
Can Brent Venables lead the charge to get him to finally land at Oklahoma? For the Sooners, it may be worth revisiting. After all, none of the defensive coaches involved with that recruit are on the staff anymore.
While none of these names have reportedly received an Oklahoma offer, the Sooners are in the business of reshaping the roster in the image of Brent Venables. No name is off the table and quite frankly it shouldn’t be as they continue to retool heading into the 2022 season.
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