Oklahoma’s 2021 spring practices are less than a week away from getting underway with the spring game set to come in a little over a month. With football so close to returning, Sooners Wire continues to take a look at each position group of the team going into camp.
As strong as the Oklahoma Sooners defense was on the edge, Alex Grinch also deploys a strong group in the interior. The defensive tackles are led by Perrion Winfrey, who joined the team last year as a JUCO transfer. He made an immediate impact on the interior. With Ronnie Perkins now gone, Isaiah Thomas is likely to see more time on the edge than on the interior as a pass rusher. LaRon Stokes, Jalen Redmon, and Winfrey should be key impact players.
Positional Breakdown
The Starters: Perrion Winfrey and LaRon Stokes
Winfrey joined the team last year after transferring in from Iowa Western Community College. He appeared in all 11 games and played 404 total snaps while generating 27 total pressures. Winfrey will resume his duties as the starter at nose tackle in Grinch’s defense. With Thomas shifting to edge, LaRon Stokes likely takes over the other defensive tackle spot. Last season Stokes appeared in eight games with 257 total snaps played. He generated nine total quarterback pressures.
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The Backups: Jalen Redmond, Kori Roberson, Jordan Kelley, and Josh Ellison
As rotational pieces, the Sooners see the return of Jalen Redmond who opted out of the 2020 college football season due to the coronavirus pandemic. He will return to serve as the first backup to LaRon Stokes at the defensive tackle spot. Kori Roberson will battle with Redmond for playing time behind the starter throughout the spring. He showed flashes last season of just how good he could be.
At nose tackle behind Winfrey, the Sooners turn to transfer Josh Ellison (Blinn College) and Jordan Kelley. Both of which saw time on the field last year. Ellison appeared in 11 games and played 247 total snaps. He finished with nine total quarterback pressures. Kelley appeared in 10 games and played 174 total snaps with five quarterback pressures.
The wild card could be another transfer in Isaiah Coe. Much like Winfrey and Ellison, he arrives from the JUCO level. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, he was the No. 5 defensive tackle in the country among the other junior college transfers.
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