The Alex Grinch years held mixed results for the Oklahoma Sooners in the three seasons he held the defensive coordinator position. The general consensus is that the defense for the first two years of the Alex Grinch era was “not good”.
And it wasn’t, though it did make improvements in 2021. A massive issue with Grinch’s unit last year was the secondary had massive injury problems and gave up far too many big plays through the air, particularly whenever safety Delarrin Turner-Yell was out.
The biggest asset of last year’s defense was the pass rush, specifically Nik Bonitto and Isaiah Thomas. The aptly named “Speed D” excelled at sideline to sideline movement, and consistently pressured opposing QBs. No one in the Big 12 pressured the QB more than Bonitto, with his pressure rate of 19.8% leading the conference.
Despite that, Grinch’s defense wasn’t as aggressive as one would think. According to CFB Film Room, OU blitzed on 19.6% of plays last year. That ranked No. 109 in FBS.
However, the Sooners have entered a new era. There’s a new sheriff in town and he’s bringing change with him.
Brent Venables’ defense at Clemson last season blitzed 39.8% of the time, per CFB Film Room. That’s the seventh-highest blitz rate in FBS. Venables might not be calling plays, but it’s still his scheme. Expect a lot of blitzes from OU’s defense.
It is unfortunate that Sooners fans won’t get to see Bonitto and Thomas in Venables’ scheme, but the linebackers and defensive linemen who are still in Norman are going to have a lot of fun in this defense.
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