The Oklahoma Sooners spring game provided a glimpse at the players that will be asked to take on significant roles in 2023.
One player that took advantage of his opportunity was second-year defensive tackle, Gracen Halton. In the game, Halton had five total tackles and a pair of sacks. He was disruptive, showing off the ability that made him a four-star interior defensive line prospect coveted by schools like Oregon, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, USC, and a number of other Power Five schools.
[autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeffery Johnson[/autotag] are off to the NFL, and the Sooners are looking for a group of interior defensive linemen that can be disruptive at the point of attack. Halton just provided a glimpse of what he has to offer the Oklahoma Sooners from the interior.
“The thing about Gracen is he’s got a ton of ability,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof shared after the game. “He can show out like that. From a consistency standpoint, he’s just got to continue to be consistent. He’s a young guy, but he’s a guy with a bright future ahead of him too.”
Consistency is key at the collegiate level and for coaches like Brent Venables and Ted Roof. They have to trust that these guys are going to be in the right spot, do their job, and win their reps more often than not to earn a role on the depth chart.
After playing sparingly in 2022, it looks like [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] has put together a strong winter and spring this offseason. Only three players had more tackles in the game than Halton, and nobody had more sacks.
Halton plays with quickness and burst at 6-foot-2 and 271 pounds. As a pass rusher, he’s going to have a chance to make plays for the Oklahoma Sooners this fall. And if the spring game is any indication, as Coach Roof said, the future is very bright for Gracen Halton.
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