In the wake of Brent Venables’ move from Clemson defensive coordinator to Oklahoma Sooners head coach, one of the more intriguing story lines to follow was that of Clemson commit and Kansas native [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag].
It wasn’t long after Venables made the move to Norman that rumblings surfaced that Kanak wanted to follow the defensive coordinator he had committed to play for. Venables, not wanting to undermine his friend and former employer, Dabo Swinney, encouraged Kanak to stay committed to Clemson.
Kanak came to Oklahoma anyway and immediately made noise in the offseason program with his work ethic and his athleticism. That showed up on Saturday. Though he played some against UTEP and Kent State, the Nebraska game provided the first extended game action for the athletic linebacker, and he proved ready for the opportunity.
Kanak played 42 snaps on Saturday and led the Oklahoma Sooners with 10 total tackles (3 solo) and four stops (Pro Football Focus). He also led the Oklahoma Sooners with four pressures, one better than Ethan Downs. He did so while playing only the sixth-most defensive snaps against Nebraska.
The guy has a chance to be an elite talent for the Oklahoma Sooners, and his versatility fits right in at the cheetah position in Brent Venables and Ted Roof’s defense.
“He played good,” Venables said after the game Saturday. “You know, again, I’m talking to myself. And I’m super proud of Jaren. He’s one of the most unassuming guys in our locker room. And then he also had the first what we call the ‘Swift Sooner Award,’ which goes to whoever causes, gets the first turnover. And he did that as well, punched the ball out, did a great job. And he’s just learning how to play linebacker. He has no idea what he’s doing yet. But he’s made a lot of improvements from fundamentals and language. And I know things are going a million miles an hour for him, but he did a nice job.”
The opportunity wasn’t too big for the true freshman who played more snaps in Week 3 (42) against Nebraska than he played in weeks 1 and 2 combined (33).
While Venables was encouraged by Kanak’s efforts, he knows there’s a lot of room to grow. And that should be a scary thought for opposing offensive coordinators.
“The tape is going to be great for him to learn from. He’s really hard on himself. He’s an easy guy to coach because he’s really demanding himself, as opposed to being a young, immature freshman that doesn’t want to be told when he’s terrible. And he wasn’t terrible today, but he made some mistakes. He’ll be the first one to say that. But so did a bunch of other guys. So, I’m really proud of him and the progress that he’s made. Ted’s (Roof) done a great job with him.”
Though DeShaun White will likely return to his starting role as the cheetah linebacker, Kanak should get more opportunities to play in meaningful situations.
With a tough matchup coming against the athletic and speedy Deuce Vaughn, Kanak could be a part of the game plan to slow Kansas State’s best player.
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