Kip Lewis – Page 6 – Syndication Server

2023 Player Profile: Jaren Kanak gets an opportunity to make a big impact

Oklahoma linebacker Jaren Kanak is primed for a huge role in 2023.

Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with linebacker Jaren Kanak up.

Every year before the start of the college football season, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic chronicles some of the sport’s freakiest and jaw-dropping athletes. Guys of all positions and sizes feature on the list. While Oklahoma didn’t get one on the this year’s list, if there were a player you’d think will be on this list in future seasons, it would be rising sophomore linebacker Jaren Kanak.

Kanak came to Oklahoma as a small-town Kansas kid. Athletically, he’s one of one, and it’s not hard to imagine that if he had played high school ball at a 5A or 6A school in Texas, his recruitment would’ve gone a lot differently.

His draw to Oklahoma was to be coached by Brent Venables. In his first year, he showcased tantalizing glimpses of the player he could become.

While the numbers will not stand out because his limited knowledge of the playbook and experience kept him off the field, he still found ways to impact the game when he saw playing time. With excellent size for the position at 6-foot-2 and over 220 pounds, Kanak has a rare blend of size and speed.

This spring was about learning the intricacies of the defense, and along with Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma has a tenacious LB pairing.

Kanak is a significant piece of Oklahoma’s efforts to put the horrid defensive effort of 2022 behind it. Alongside Stutsman, Kanak should pencil in as the starter. David Ugwoegbu transferred out and is playing edge elsewhere. Dashaun White is playing football professionally, and no one else on the depth chart beside sophomore Kip Lewis played any meaningful snaps last year. Kanak looks destined to be a starter and will have every opportunity to cement himself early on as a competent middle linebacker in Ted Roof’s defense.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Hays, Kansas

Ht: 6-2

Wt: 221 lbs

Class in 2023: Sophomore

247Sports Composite

Four-star prospect, No. 6 athlete, No. 1 player in Kansas

Career Stats

Defense & Fumbles Table
						Tackles					Def Int					Fumbles
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Solo	Ast	Tot	Loss	Sk	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	PD	FR	Yds	TD	FF
*2022	Oklahoma	Big 12	SO	LB	13	7	17	24	1.0	0.0	0	0		0	0	1	0	0	1
Career	Oklahoma					7	17	24	1.0	0.0	0	0		0	0	1	0	0	1

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 6/7/2023.

Depth Chart Overview

Kanak is a significant piece of Oklahoma’s efforts to put the defensive effort of 2022 behind it. Alongside Stutsman, Kanak should pencil in as a starter.

David Ugwoegbu transferred and is playing edge at Houston. DaShaun White is playing football professionally, and no one else on the depth chart besides sophomore Kip Lewis played any meaningful snaps last year.

Kanak looks destined to be a starter and will have every opportunity to cement himself early on as a competent middle linebacker in Ted Roof’s defense.

Jaren Kanak Player Picture Gallery

Danny Stutsman is the tip of the spear for the Oklahoma Sooners defense in 2023

While Oklahoma made several key moves to upgrade the talent, Danny Stutsman will be at the forefront of the Sooners defensive improvement.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ defense didn’t live up to expectations in 2022. Few people would tell you otherwise. However, there’s optimism the defense will make strides in 2023.

One of the bright spots was the performance of sophomore linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag]. Stutsman, who led the Big 12 in tackles and in Pro Football Focus’ “stops” metric. It was a strong performance for a first-year starter on a defense that struggled in just about every area. Stutsman wasn’t perfect, but as a first-year starter in a new defensive scheme with little depth behind him to give him a breather, Stutsman performed well and is one of the reasons Oklahoma’s defense ought to get better in 2023.

Only three players played more defensive snaps than Stutsman’s 992 in the 2022 season. Each of those players were a defensive back, and none of them played in the Power Five.

That experience was very valuable for Stutsman. And it’s part of the reason that there are high hopes that he can help lead the Sooners’ defensive turnaround.

“He went through it,” OU defensive coordinator Ted Roof said during spring ball. “He played as a young guy. He played almost 1,000 snaps last year. That’s a lot. But at the same time, this year, he’s going to be so much better off because of it. And when the young guys are going through the mud, and everybody goes through the mud, but when they’re going through the deep mud, he can say: ‘Hey, I’ve been there, this what it’s going to look like if you keep doing this, this and this.’ And as a peer and as a guy that young guys see as a leader, that means a lot.”

Oklahoma made considerable moves to upgrade the talent on the defensive side of the ball via the transfer portal and in their 2023 recruiting class. However, don’t sleep on the progression of some of the returning players like Stutsman. For Oklahoma to take steps to return to defensive prominence, Stutsman will have to lead the way.

In his third year in the program, the former four-star linebacker has taken on a leadership role in the program.

“As a veteran now, I’ve got to keep making strides in a leadership role,” Stutsman said during the spring. “Sometimes I was quiet. I’ve got to improve upon that. That’s just self-growth. I’m ready to recognize that and ready to keep making strides for this team. I’m just ready to go.”

The Sooners are inexperienced at linebacker beyond Stutsman. But they’re banking on his leadership and experience to help bring along a young and talented group of players.

There’s excitement about [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag], [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] and 2023 signees [autotag]Phil Picciotti[/autotag], [autotag]Samuel Omosigho[/autotag] and [autotag]Lewis Carter[/autotag].

But while there’s intrigue about the young linebacker corps, it’s going to be Stutsman who leads the turnaround.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

10 Sooners who stood out in the Oklahoma Red-White Game

There were quite a few strong performances in the Oklahoma Sooners’ annual Red-White game. Here are 10 players who stood out.

The 2022 season didn’t temper the enthusiasm of a fan base that hadn’t seen a losing season since the Clinton administration. 54,509 people showed up to support the Oklahoma Sooners in the spring game. And they were treated to quite the show.

The annual Red-White game provided an opportunity to get a sneak preview into what the Oklahoma Sooners could be in the 2023 season. Though it’s hard to extrapolate performances to the regular season, there were players that stood out.

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Here are ten that flashed on Saturday in the spring game.

‘We’ve made exponential improvement’: Brent Venables likes what the Sooners have at linebacker

Despite veteran losses at the position, Brent Venables likes what he has in the Oklahoma Sooners’ young linebacker room.

The Oklahoma Sooners lacked depth at the linebacker position in 2022. As the season wore on, it became clear that the Sooners weren’t comfortable with what they had at the position beyond their starters [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag].

Back in January, we looked at this exact issue.

According to Pro Football Focus, only 11 off-ball linebackers played more than 900 snaps in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and three of them were Oklahoma Sooners. Toledo was the only other team that had multiple linebackers with more than 900 snaps on the season.

Danny Stutsman tied for the FBS lead in snaps at linebacker with North Texas’ K.D. Davis at 992. Only two players in all of college football played more snaps than Stutsman; UNT safety Sean Thomas-Faulkner and Georgia Southern safety Anthony Wilson. – John Williams, Sooners Wire

The losses of [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag] and [autotag]T.D. Roof[/autotag] left Brent Venables and Ted Roof with few options at linebacker and “Cheetah.” Stutsman, Ugwoegbu, and White played a ton of snaps.

It was expected that the Oklahoma Sooners would look to the transfer portal to shore up some of their depth at linebacker. They did add a couple of players that could factor in at “Cheetah,” but no traditional off-ball linebacker to either replace Ugwoegbu or provide depth behind Stutsman.

The Sooners’ defensive staff is looking to the return of Whitter, who Venables says will be ready for spring ball, and their last two recruiting classes to be key pieces at linebacker for 2023.

“I feel like we got exactly what we need,” Venables shared in the Sooners new additions media day on Thursday. “But, (if) you look at it like I do, like, ‘golly, we really can’t afford an injury here.’ You know, if that happens, it’s to me a different conversation. And just the margin for error is small there. But I love the group of guys. And we’ve made exponential improvement from where we were a year ago at this time.”

Though many of the faces are the same, sans Ugweogbu and White, those faces have a year of experience in the program. They’re a year older, more physically and mentally developed, and with the 2023 group of linebackers, a more talented group of players.

Danny Stutsman will return to start for Oklahoma at one of the linebacker spots, presumably the weakside (WILL), where he was a first-year starter in 2022. Stutsman played well, leading Oklahoma and the Big 12 in tackles. Going into his third season with the Sooners and second as a starter, there are high expectations for one of the leaders of the defense.

“Danny was outstanding,” Venables said on Thursday. “In our bowl game, and think it was quite obvious, he was the best player on our defense. And I say that because I’m not worried about Danny getting full of himself. But I’m also going to recognize a guy that I think we can build a defense around. And he’s got a lot to improve at to, physically, fundamentally, understanding. But he’s a guy that’s been putting in the work, and he’s fanatical about putting in work and improving. Got a great sense of desperation.”

Then there will be quite the competition for snaps at the middle linebacker (MIKE) and “Cheetah” spots.

Whitter and 2022 four-star linebacker prospects [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag], [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] will be the names that factor into the positional battle. They’re joined this offseason by early enrollee [autotag]Phil Picciotti[/autotag]. [autotag]Samuel Omosigho[/autotag] and [autotag]Lewis Carter[/autotag] will join them as summer enrollees.

Venables admits they’re thin at linebacker but also really likes where they’re at. It’s a talented group of players to work with. We saw flashes from Kanak during the 2022 season, leading many to wonder why he didn’t play more, given the number of snaps the linebackers were playing.

Despite being thin at linebacker, Venables would prefer not to add another player at the position. If an injury occurs, they’ll look into it after spring ball, but he wants to invest in the guys in the room right now.

“Hopefully, we don’t have to address that because I really like where the group is right now,” Venables said about the progression of the group. “Mentally and physically, fundamentally, their understanding, the segment meetings that we’ve had with him, and then the time that they come in on their own with the cut-ups that we’ve created. We’ve shown them a lot of things that we got to get better at, where we fell short last year, positionally, fundamentally instinctually.”

While they’re young, It’s a talented group. They’ll need to take a big step this offseason to help the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense improve from where they were in 2022. But they’re a group that’s mostly been in the system for a year now. They have a better understanding of what the expectations and responsibilities are.

On the surface, depth may appear to be an issue for the Oklahoma Sooners at linebacker. However, despite its youth, they’re a more talented group than they were a year ago, and that should be an exciting proposition for Oklahoma’s defensive future.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from Oklahoma’s new addition media day on Thursday.

Oklahoma Sooners going all-in to improve defense for 2023

The Oklahoma Sooners are going all-in via the transfer portal to fix a defense that was one of the worst in the country in 2022.

The transfer portal has created a bit of a chaotic element in the world of college football. Players that coaches expect to be around for three to five years may depart after just one season with the immediate eligibility transfer rule.

At the same time, there’s beauty in the transfer portal as well. A team like the Oklahoma Sooners, coming off its worst season since 1998, isn’t forced to stand pat and wait on its players to develop.

After the 2022 season, in which the defense ranked in the bottom 30 of college football and allowed 30 points per game, the Sooners are aggressively improving the talent on the defensive roster for 2023.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and the Oklahoma Sooners have added six players on the defensive side through the transfer portal. And that doesn’t include [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag], who they brought in as a junior college addition through the 2023 recruiting class. So far, they’ve earned transfer commitments from:

[autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag], DT from Notre Dame
[autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], Edge/LB from Indiana
[autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], S from Texas Tech
[autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag], DE from Oklahoma State
[autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], DL from Wake Forest
[autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag], DT from Texas State

That’s a lot of experience and a lot of production at the collegiate level to add to the defensive depth chart for 2023.

Rondell Bothroyd brings 14 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons to Norman. Dasan McCullough had a standout season as a true freshman for the Hoosiers and was an ESPN true freshman All-American. We were witnesses to the thunderous tackling ability that Reggie Pearson brings to the Sooners’ secondary in Oklahoma’s loss to Texas Tech in 2022. Jacob Lacey didn’t play much for Notre Dame in 2022, but he was effective in the three games played.

Trace Ford has battled injuries in Stillwater but has been productive when he played. In his first two seasons at Oklahoma State, Ford procured 7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss as a true freshman and sophomore. Davon Sears has taken the winding road to the Power Five after spending time at Ellsworth Community College and Texas State. He was an effective interior defensive line presence for the Bobcats, even if the numbers aren’t eye-popping.

The Sooners have some defensive building blocks to work with, including [autotag]Ethan Downs,[/autotag] [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Kelley[/autotag].

They have some young guys from the 2022 recruiting class that will have a chance to be impact players in 2023, such as [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag], [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag], [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Rowe[/autotag]. The Sooners have signed arguably the best defensive recruiting class they’ve had in years.

However, Venables and his coaching staff aren’t waiting around. After a 6-7 season, they felt the mandate to make significant additions to the roster to improve the talent, and they’ve done that. It doesn’t mean Oklahoma will contend for the Big 12 title and the College Football Playoff, but they’re not sitting back to see if the young talent will take the steps this offseason to be the difference makers the Sooners’ defense needs to make significant strides in 2023.

They’ll have a lot to prove when they get into the Big 12 part of their schedule next season. Nonconference play will not give us much of an indication of where this defense is next season. However, with what they’ve done in the transfer portal, the defense should be on an upward trajectory.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff are doing everything they can to fix the defense, and their work in the transfer portal is indicative of those efforts.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Improving linebacker depth key to improving Oklahoma Sooners defense for 2023

Only 11 linebackers played more than 900 snaps in 2022. Three of them were Oklahoma Sooners. Danny Stutsman led the way at the position with nearly 1,000 snaps.

One of the issues the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense faced in 2022 was that the defense was on the field far too much. In particular, linebackers [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]DaShaun White,[/autotag] and [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag] played a ton of snaps for the Sooners.

One could argue they played too much.

As Oklahoma went 0-5 in games decided by one score or less, one could point to how much the Sooners’ trio of linebackers had to be on the field. Injuries to T.D. Roof and Shane Whitter forced the defensive staff’s hand to play that trio of backers as much as possible. They didn’t have much choice, feeling like their 2022 linebacker signees weren’t ready to play a significant amount of snaps. That left Stutsman, White, and Ugwoegbu to play over 900 snaps on the season. Stutsman was eight snaps away from an even 1,000.

According to Pro Football Focus, only 11 off-ball linebackers played more than 900 snaps in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and three of them were Oklahoma Sooners. Toledo was the only other team that had multiple linebackers with more than 900 snaps on the season.

Danny Stutsman tied for the FBS lead in snaps at linebacker with North Texas’ K.D. Davis at 992. Only two players in all of college football played more snaps than Stutsman; UNT safety Sean Thomas-Faulkner and Georgia Southern safety Anthony Wilson.

With opposing offenses averaging 80 plays a game and several of those games approaching 100, the Oklahoma Sooners needed more depth to help carry the burden that Stutsman, White, and Ugwoegbu faced.

Stutsman averaged 83 snaps a game in Big 12 play. Over the final five weeks of the conference schedule, when Oklahoma went 2-3 and were 0-3 in games decided by a field goal, Stutsman averaged 90.2 snaps a game. In those final five games, Oklahoma’s No. 4 linebacker, Jaren Kanak, played just 20 snaps, with zero defensive snaps against Iowa State and Texas Tech.

Now for more bad news. DaShaun White is off to the NFL. [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag]’s status remains unknown at the moment. He could follow White to the pros or choose to use his COVID year to play a fifth season for the Sooners.

If Ugwoegbu leaves, Stutsman is the only linebacker on the defense that has played a significant amount of snaps for the Sooners. [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag] will be back, providing a bit of experience, but he has fewer than 300 snaps to his ledger through three seasons.

For reference, Clemson’s top linebacker, Barrett Carter played 835 snaps in 2022, but the Tigers had four other linebackers with at least 600 snaps, according to PFF.

Now, they’ve added some talented players to the linebacker depth chart in the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes, but aside from [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag], there isn’t much to go off of right now.

Kanak, [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] were highly-regarded 2022 signees, but aside from Kanak in limited runs, the staff didn’t feel comfortable putting them out there as true freshmen.

It’s understandable. There’s a lot that goes into playing linebacker at the collegiate level. From pre-snap reads to understanding adjustments before the snap to executing their responsibilities within the scheme post-snap, there’s a lot to take into consideration. For those same reasons, the 2023 guys may not be ready to be day-one contributors. So, Oklahoma needs its 2022 signees to be ready to contribute significantly in 2023.

Getting off the field on third and fourth down will help limit the snaps of their linebackers, but perhaps having better depth at the position would help a guy like Danny Stutsman play at max efficiency in the fourth quarter. If he’s not having to play every snap of every game because the Sooners have a guy they feel like they can put out there for a series or two earlier in the game, it would only benefit the ascending Stutsman.

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5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s Cheez-It Bowl depth chart

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners Cheez-It Bowl depth chart.

Oklahoma will look different when it takes the field against the 13th-ranked Florida State Seminoles on Thursday evening in the Cheez-It Bowl. The Sooners will have some fresh faces in new spots as they look to avoid finishing below .500 for the first time since 1998.

Starters [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] have opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. That leaves voids on both sides of the ball the Sooners have had three weeks to plan for. What were the results of that planning? Well, we have the answers, as Oklahoma released its depth chart for the game.

.@PlankShow listeners wanted a look at OU's released depth chart for Florida State. Here you go, REF Army. @KREFsports pic.twitter.com/bQvBPPzfg5

— Josh Helmer (@JoshOnREF) December 27, 2022

With that info out, here are five takeaways from the depth chart below.

REPORT: 3-star linebacker Kaleb Spencer flips commitment from Oklahoma to Miami

In a surprise, 2023 three-star linebacker Kaleb Spencer flipped his commitment from the Oklahoma Sooners to the Miami Hurricanes.

The ebb and flow of recruiting provides a roller coaster journey for college football programs through the early signing period to national signing day.

Oklahoma’s 2023 recruiting class took a hit on Friday night when three-star linebacker [autotag]Kaleb Spencer[/autotag] flipped his commitment from the Oklahoma Sooners to the Miami Hurricanes. Spencer had been committed to Brent Venables and Oklahoma since May and was one of the earliest commitments in the 2023 class.

Speaking with Hayes Fawcett of On3 Recruiting, Spencer cited his relationship with the coaching staff, in particular with Miami assistant Jahmile Addae.

According to the 247Sports composite, Spencer is the No. 692 player in the class and ranks as the No. 58 linebacker.

Even with the loss of Spencer, the Sooners still have three linebackers committed to the 2023 class. Linebacker [autotag]Samuel Omosigho[/autotag] is the No. 99 player and No. 8 linebacker in the 2023 class, while [autotag]Lewis Carter[/autotag] ranks No. 159 and is the No. 13 linebacker in the class. Then there’s [autotag]Phil Picciotti[/autotag], who is a top 50 linebacker in the class.

Spencer is an athletic player on the rise, but the competition for snaps would have been fierce in 2023 at the position. Oklahoma’s depth at linebacker has been tested this fall: [autotag]T.D. Roof[/autotag] and [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag] were lost for the year.

[autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] have been forced to play a lot. Waiting for their chance to shine are four-star linebackers in the 2022 class are [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag], [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag] and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag]. So while the linebacker depth appears a bit thin at the moment, over the next couple of years, the position will be filled with blue-chip talent up and down the depth chart.

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Report Card: Offense carrying the load in a bounce-back performance

Oklahoma’s offense led the way versus Kansas, and it shows with their grades in this week’s report cards.

The last three weeks had to be an evaluation and film study nightmare for the Oklahoma Sooners. There were injuries, bad technique, and missed assignments on both sides of the ball. They needed a decent performance against a tough Kansas team, and they delivered on Saturday.

The result was far from dominant unless you look at the offense’s performance alone but what transpired was a team desperate for a win that played hard and didn’t let up.

As we do at Sooners Wire, we took time to grade each unit for their performance in Oklahoma’s 52-42 win..

Oklahoma projected to have the best Linebacker unit in the Big 12 in 2022 by Bleacher Report

Led by DaShaun White, Oklahoma’s linebacker corp was picked to be the best in the Big 12 in 2022 by Bleacher Report.

Much is going to look different for an Oklahoma Sooners defense that was supposed to be the best unit they’d deploy under former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

A lot of the defensive front that helped produce sacks and tackles for loss is gone to the NFL, and so is [autotag]Brian Asamoah[/autotag], the linebacker that led the Sooners in tackles in 2021. While they’ve experienced a bunch of turnover, one spot where they have good experienced depth is at linebacker with the return of [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag], [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], and [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag]. That was already a solid unit with the chance to be Oklahoma’s best defensive group, and then they added [autotag]T.D. Roof[/autotag] in the transfer portal and a good young trio of linebackers in the 2022 recruiting class with [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag], [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag].

But even with the talent and the depth that the Sooners have at linebacker, potentially the most important addition to the linebacker group was head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag].

Venables’ experience at the position, tenacity, and drive will bring out the best versions of the returning Oklahoma Sooners. With Venables and the experience returning at the position, the Oklahoma Sooners were picked by David Kenyon of Bleacher Report to be the best linebacker unit in the Big 12 for the 2022 season.

Most importantly, Oklahoma has the players. DaShaun White notched 61 tackles last season, while David Ugwoegbu made 48 stops. Danny Stutsman added 38 in his injury-shortened year, and Shane Whitter contributed 27 more as a rotational player. For good measure, Appalachian State transfer T.D. Roof brings four seasons of experience and recorded 68 tackles last year. Similar to Cincinnati, the head coach is another positive. Brent Venables played linebacker in college and has coached the position for nearly three decades, building a reputation for strong development that figures to continue in Norman. – Kenyon, Bleacher Report

Much of the optimism surrounding the Oklahoma Sooners on defense stems from the addition of Brent Venables and what he’s been able to accomplish as a defensive coordinator for more than two decades. Venables was a part of three national championship-winning teams and played for several more because of the defensive prowess he brought to the field.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.