Walking away from playing football when it’s where many of your life’s greatest accomplishments happened is a dark, frustrating place to have to venture into. It’s the place Oklahoma defensive back turned defensive analyst Jeremiah Criddell worked his way out of.
Criddell announced on Feb. 4 that he was stepping away from football on doctors’ recommendations due to having sustained a series of concussions. In that same announcement, though, Criddell shared the good news that he was joining head coach Brent Venables’ staff as a defensive analyst.
“When everything first happened, I definitely went through a stage of always being down, always wanting something to change, and getting back on the field. Truthfully, if we’re going to be honest, it was a side of depression. I went through that, I experienced that and through really good counsel and guys that were on the staff that really just cared about me as a person, really just helped me through that,” Criddell said in an appearance on the “Raw Tools” podcast with Luke Slabaugh.
“Being told news that something that you’ve been doing for the past nine, ten years is now gone. You won’t ever touch the football field again. Now, you’re 21 years old and almost every accolade that you’ve had in life except for your diploma, almost every accolade is from football. Now, you’re faced with a decision. Either you’re going to respond or you’re just going to lay down and just quit. I feel a lot of people would have struggled with this situation a lot longer than I have and I still am struggling with it, but I feel like I’ve done a good job and I think I can give myself credit for going out and getting the help that was recommended and then, you know, also putting that into practice. Approaching everything with a positive mindset and just attacking every day for others, trying to pour into others.”
Criddell credited Oklahoma’s staff, his family, and his friends for helping pull him out of a dark place and into acceptance that this is an exciting new chapter in his life.
“I’ve got to keep it kind of broad because there were so many different people that throughout just Oklahoma’s staff and friends and family, loved ones that had a hand in bringing me back up and encouraging me to take the next chapter as something that can be positive. It was just a whole group of people all lifting me up and I’m more than thankful for that, you know, that they were a pivotal part in me changing my perspective,” Criddell said.
It wasn’t easy. Criddell grappled with the idea that all of the energy and years he had invested into football was suddenly for nothing. Ultimately, the message from his loved ones won out and a new life’s purpose came into focus.
“When they did that, I had to put it to my head and to my mind that, you know, all of the work that you put in to get to where you were, it wasn’t in vain and it wasn’t just for getting interceptions on the field. Obviously, I’ve done it. I’ve put in the work. I’ve put in the blood, sweat and tears. I’ve been coached hard. I’ve went on a learning curve and I feel like I’ve reached a decent part of what college football players all face. The ebbs and flows. I feel like I’ve reached a lot of those moments in my career and now I’m turning that from that stuff was in vain and it didn’t work out for anything. Now, I’m just trying to turn it into it was for a bigger purpose and it was to be able to counsel a younger guy, a younger player that’s trying to accomplish what I was trying to accomplish. That’s kind of just the perspective I’ve taken and switched,” Criddell said.
Now, Criddell is excited to learn from a defensive coaching staff that’s headlined by head coach Brent Venables. Since 2012, Venables’ defenses have led the nation with 448 sacks and 1,159 tackles for loss.
“I just want to be with all the great minds that I’m around. I want to pick their brains, I want to be a sponge when they’re talking inside of the film room or say anything coaching points-wise. I just want to take all those coaching points in. I just want to be a sponge that way. I really plan on submerging myself in the defense that coach Venables and coach Roof have going on. Again, I’ve got two ears and one mouth. Just go in there and learn every day. And also take advantage of the opportunity of being able to be on the field and coach the guys and help them give coaching points. Also utilize that, try to get any errors that I may have early on and just grow on that. Grow better whenever I’m trying to teach somebody something,” Criddell said.
Criddell appeared in 17 games with Oklahoma and made 15 tackles in his career, so he knows the type of preparation it takes to get onto the field at OU.
“I feel like the biggest thing that I can add to these defensive backs is just the mindset that you approach any receiver with, the mindset that you approach tackling with, the mindset that you’ve got to approach everyday workouts, going to class. I feel like the biggest thing is football is really a lot mental. The game is really, really mental and, you know, if you tell yourself you can do something, you can do it. If you don’t, you really will not be able to. I feel like that’s the biggest thing, the mental side. Attacking that, just keeping their confidence high, but also understanding and letting them know that you’ve got to continue to work and grind for what you get every day. You’ve got to go do it again, go do it again and you’ve got to stay on that vibe. You’ve got to stay wanting it every single day. You’ve got to earn every day,” Criddell said.
Sharing the appreciation for what practice is supposed to be and look like is something Criddell hopes to add for the staff as well.
“On the field, making sure that practice is what it is. It’s practice. You’re supposed to see things you haven’t seen throughout the week. You’re supposed to have the hardest plays during scout. You’re supposed to have great receivers like Marvin Mims, Theo Wease, Drake Stoops. You’ve got all these guys to go against every single day in practice. Embrace that. Don’t shy away from that at all. Embrace every single play that you’re going to get going against a great quarterback like Dillon. Embrace all that and take it for what it is. Lose a rep, shake it up next rep. Next rep mentality. Embrace the losses as learns and then approach it with I’m the best athlete on the field mentality,” Criddell said.
In practice, Criddell and his defensive players will be tasked with slowing down those aforementioned wide receivers and the Sooners’ new starting signal-caller Dillon Gabriel.
“I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen his approach to the game. I can definitely say that he respects the game and I can tell that he’s just a gamer. I don’t know if I can put it in these terms, but he reminds a little bit honestly about a quarterback we had a few years ago. He’s a gamer. He wants to win. He approaches pretty much everything with an I’m just going to attack it mentality. I like what I’ve seen so far,” Criddell said of Gabriel.
For Criddell, the mission moving forward is simple.
“Just try to help out, figure out whatever I need to do to elevate the program,” Criddell said.
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