Tag: Kobie McKinzie

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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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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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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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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Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game: Stream, broadcast info for Saturday

How to watch or listen and start time for Oklahoma’s spring game on Saturday.

The Oklahoma Sooners will play their annual spring game this Saturday, April 23, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

It’s a dawn of a new era for the Oklahoma Sooners. Though [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his coaching staff have been in town for four months now, the Sooners’ spring game marks a seminal moment to kick off the Venables era. It’s the coaches’ and fans’ first opportunity to see the team play in a game-like situation.

“We’re going to split the squad up. I’m going to have a Red and White team. Dillon (Gabriel) will play a little bit of quarterback for both sides, but otherwise, we’re going to split it evenly,” Venables shared with the media on Tuesday. “Coaches as well. We’ll name the head coaches here another day, as well. We’ll let the players know by Thursday who’s on what team, and then we’ll have it all juiced up on different sidelines.”

With 12 players declared for next week’s NFL draft and quite a few who departed via the transfer portal, the Sooners have quite a few snaps up for grabs as they close out the spring. Saturday’s game will prove to be a big-time opportunity for someone to assert themselves in their position battles ahead of the 2022 college football season.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: April 23
  • Time: 3 p.m. CT
  • Live Stream: SoonerSports.com (Subscription Required)
  • Listen: Streaming on The Varsity Network App
  • Ticket Info can be found at SoonerSports.com
  • Replay of the event will be shown on Bally Sports Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. CT and on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. CT.

Oklahoma injury report:

No injuries have been disclosed.

Players to watch:

At quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] is expected to play for both the red and the white teams during the spring game. Sooners fans will get their first opportunity to see highly-regarded freshman [autotag]Nick Evers[/autotag]. Evers is the favorite to win the quarterback job.

In the passing game, Oklahoma’s looking to replace four of their top five pass-catchers from 2021, but the return of [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag], who sat out nearly all of 2021 bodes huge for this team.

Running back has a lot of talent led by [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]. [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] is bouncing back from a 2021 season marred by academic ineligibility. [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] has been turning heads in camp for his progression during his first semester with the Sooners.

The offensive line returns three of their five starters and picked up a huge addition via the portal in [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag]. How this unit improves from last season and gels together for 2022 are huge storylines to follow in the spring game and this summer.

On defense, how they replace the production from the defensive linemen who departed for the NFL draft is the biggest question Oklahoma’s facing. [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Stripling[/autotag], and Jonah La’ulu figure to make up the defensive end rotation while newcomer [autotag]Jeffery Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] appear to be the starters along the interior defensive line.

Linebacker appears to be the deepest position group on the roster led by [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] and [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag]. [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag] and [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] will play significant roles and newcomers [autotag]Kobie McKinzie,[/autotag] Jaren Kanak, and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] could factor into the rotation in 2022.

In the secondary, the Sooners have to replace [autotag]Delarrin Turner-Yell[/autotag] and [autotag]Pat Fields[/autotag], two players with a ton of experience. They’ve got potential answers in [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag], [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag], and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], but who starts for the Sooners at safety remains to be seen.

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Oklahoma Sooners offer Arkansas 2023 commit WR Anthony Evans III

The Oklahoma Sooners join the list of recent teams to offer 2023 3-star wide receiver and Arkansas Razorbacks commit Anthony Evans III.

As Oklahoma knows, nothing is official until recruits sign on the dotted line during the early signing period or on national signing day. In Brent Venables first two months with the Sooners, they were able to flip [autotag]Kevonte Henry[/autotag] from Michigan, [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] from Iowa State, and [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag] after he flipped to Texas.

They’ll never feel like they’re out of a race until the prospect signs their national letter of intent. That’s why one of their more recent offers went out to Anthony Evans III, a wide receiver out of Texas who has already committed to the University of Arkansas.

Back in November, he shared with HawgsSports.com, part of the 247Sports network what led to his commitment, and RazorbacksWire broke it all down.

“I pulled the trigger mainly because of (Arkansas head coach Sam) Pittman and (wide receivers coach Kenny) Guiton,” Evans said. “They’ve been in constant contact several times a week with phone calls and text and truly made me feel like I was a priority.”

Coaches are a strong draw to a school and it sounds like Evans is excited about his opportunity with the Razorbacks. At the same time, he hasn’t shut his recruitment down by any stretch of the imagination. He’s received 10 offers since his commitment including Oklahoma’s. Six of those offers have come since the beginning of March with notable schools like Georgia and Tennessee wading into the fray.

With 7-on-7 season underway and camps coming in the summer, Evans looks to be a player on the rise with power programs like the Oklahoma Sooners and Georgia Bulldogs vying to flip his commitment from the Razorbacks.

Anthony Evans III’s Recruiting Profile

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Freshman Jaren Kanak one of 247Sports’ freshmen to watch this spring

247Sports lists Jaren Kanak as a freshman to watch in the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 spring game.

There are still about three weeks separating the Oklahoma Sooners from taking the field for their first spring game under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] but that hasn’t slowed the hype train.

There are a slew of new players that will make their Oklahoma debut in April’s spring game and 247Sports’ Sam Marsdale has their eye on a particular freshman on Oklahoma’s defense; linebacker [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag].

Kanak was committed to Clemson but followed Brent Venables to Norman after he accepted the head coaching job with the Sooners. Track guy who has run as fast as 10.37 at over 200 pounds,” Trieu wrote in his evaluation of Kanak. “Multi-positional player in high school but future projection is most likely outside linebacker. An explosive player who has good burst, acceleration, and obvious speed to pursue on defense. Ball skills he shows on offense should translate to defense where he should be a strong coverage backer if that is indeed where he ends up playing. Times his blitzes well, and when combined with his quickness, that allows him to penetrate and make plays in the backfield.- Sam Marsdale, 247Sports

Kanak’s journey to Oklahoma was a bit of a crazy one. However, the bond he forged early on in his recruitment with Venables won out. Kanak joins one of Oklahoma’s most talented position groups at linebacker. [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag], [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag], and four-star freshman [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag] all are competing for time at Oklahoma’s second level.

Kanak stands out as he may be the most athletic of them all and he’s only 18 years old. He will most likely see snaps in the spring game and it will be intriguing to see how he looks with those reps. How he diagnoses a play, reacts, what angles he takes, and how well he’s able to shed blocks are what to watch for as he tries to make a case for meaningful playing time in the fall.

While Kanak is the name that got highlighted, there are two other freshmen we look forward to watching on April 23; [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Evers[/autotag]. Even though neither is projected to be a starter, both will play critical roles as depth should the upperclassmen and players in front of them go down with an injury. In essence, both players could be one play away.

Barnes, a four-star running back out of Las Vegas, figures to see plenty of snaps as the Sooners won’t run [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] too much considering they are their two top backs. Barnes will get the opportunity to run the ball and show what he can bring to the running game. He’s a few steps ahead of his fellow 2022 signee in [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag]. Sawchuk won’t be joining the program until the summertime. Barnes can separate himself and earn the RB3 role with a great performance in the spring game.

Evers has an even more important role as he could potentially be the Sooners’ backup quarterback. He is a true freshman of course but with the Sooners not having another battle-tested scholarship quarterback on the roster that backup responsibility falls firmly on the shoulders of Evers.

The former four-star QB out of Texas is a talented dual-threat player that has already taken advantage of Oklahoma’s strength and conditioning program. Acclimating himself to the speed of collegiate defenses and reading defenses will be his biggest hurdle but he’ll get plenty of reps this spring and in the spring game to showcase how far he has come under Jeff Lebby’s tutelage. The Sooners hope he shows enough that they can trust him if need be to come in for starter Dillon Gabriel should Gabriel miss snaps at all this season.

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2022 Spring Preview: How does Oklahoma stack up at linebacker?

First-year head coach Brent Venables has a talented group of linebackers to begin his tenure in Norman. Here’s a look at the group entering the spring.

First-year head coach Brent Venables has a history of delivering aggressive defense. It’s why his defenses have led the nation in tackles for loss (1,159) and sacks (448) since 2012. One group that should benefit from that aggression are the Sooners’ linebackers.

As spring practices get underway on March 22, what do Venables, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Ted Roof and Oklahoma have at linebacker?

CBS tabs Brent Venables’ return to Oklahoma as one of the top spring storylines

CBS Sports reporter Dennis Dodd writes that Brent Venables taking over at Oklahoma is one of college football’s top spring storylines.

For a long time, the prevailing thought was that Brent Venables was too happy as Clemson’s defensive coordinator to accept any head coaching position. Why take on the stress of being a head coach when Venables’ compensation at $2.5 million was tops among assistant coaches?

Plus, Clemson won a pair of national championships under Venables’ watch and the Tigers’ defenses under Venables boasted the most sacks and tackles for loss nationally with 448 and 1,159, respectively. It would have to be the perfect opportunity to pry Venables away from all of that at Clemson.

Ultimately, that’s precisely what Oklahoma wound up being for Venables. Now, CBS Sports reporter Dennis Dodd writes that Venables’ return to Oklahoma is one of the top spring storylines as the gear up for the 2022 college football season gets underway.

Oklahoma looked in disarray after Riley bolted for USC. Who would the Sooners get of substance who was available? It ended up being Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who had previously been unavailable to basically everyone. After turning down interest from several schools over the years, Venables came “home”. The former Sooners defensive coordinator under Bob Stoops inherits a football factory in full flower. Watch the defense this spring; Oklahoma will play it better than it has in years. Take a long look. Venables is the face of the franchise as it transitions into the SEC. – Dodd, CBS Sports.

That’s certainly the expectation and buzz around Norman with Venables taking over. Folks anticipate a different defense moving forward into 2022 and beyond.

One of the big pieces of news heading into the offseason was the return of senior linebacker DaShaun White who racked up 66 tackles and five tackles for loss. The North Richland Hills, Texas, native’s 66 tackles were good for third best on the Sooners last season. White will be joined in a talented linebacker group by returnees Danny Stutsman, David Ugwoegbu, Brynden Walker, Joseph Wete and Shane Whitter. OU also added Appalachian State transfer T.D. Roof to go along with linebacker signees Jaren Kanak, Kip Lewis and Kobie McKinzie.

Oklahoma also brings back defensive tackle Jalen Redmond who appears prepared to blossom into this defense’s star up front. Over the course of his career, Redmond has collected 21.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. The Sooners fortified themselves up front with the additions of Tulane transfer Jeffery Johnson and Hawaii transfer Jonah Laulu.

Plus, Isaiah Coe, Josh Ellison, Jordan Kelley and Kori Roberson return inside. There’s plenty of optimism at OU about the futures of Ethan Downs, Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge, Clayton Smith and Marcus Stripling, too.

In the secondary, the Sooners return their two starting cornerbacks in D.J. Graham and Woodi Washington. Key Lawrence played both corner and safety last season. It’s likely that Lawrence will start alongside Justin Broiles at OU’s two safety spots entering 2022. OU added competition on the back end via the transfer portal, though. Wyoming transfer C.J. Coldon, North Carolina transfer Trey Morrison and Louisville transfer Kani Walker will make things interesting for Oklahoma safeties and cornerbacks coaches Brandon Hall and Jay Valai during the spring and summer.

While it’s certainly a grand transition at Oklahoma, there’s plenty of reason to believe that Venables already possesses a roster capable of turning the corner defensively as soon as 2022. At Oklahoma, fans understandably don’t like to wait very long, so the Sooners’ expectations should be to redeem themselves by winning the 2022 Big 12 Championship and be back in the mix for a College Football Playoff berth.

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Brent Venables expected to have the biggest impact of new coaches in 2022 by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg selected Brent Venables as his coach that would have the biggest impact among new coaches in 2022.

The same national media member that spent yesterday declaring that Oklahoma fans’ reactions to Lincoln Riley’s departure doesn’t jive with the fan base’s excitement for the start of the Brent Venables era is apparently a believer in Venables’ chances to deliver one of the biggest impacts among new head coaches in 2022.

The very same ESPN writer Adam Rittenberg picked Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables as his new coach that would have the biggest impact on the 2022 college football season. Here’s what Rittenberg wrote in his ESPN roundtable thoughts on Venables.

Riley would be my pick, too, but in the interest of variety, I’m going with the man who replaces him at Oklahoma. Brent Venables generated a lot of immediate goodwill because he sees Oklahoma as a destination job, and because he’s not Riley, the scourge of humanity in the Sooner State. But Venables must show he’s not like Riley, at least when it comes to developing a championship-caliber defense. The Big 12 is changing to feature a more complementary, physical style of play, and the timing for Venables’ arrival couldn’t be much better.

OU’s ability to win this new version of the Big 12 comes down to improving talent and execution on defense, which is a reasonable Year 1 goal for Venables. The offense should still be dangerous with Lebby and Gabriel, but a drop-off is likely, which puts even more pressure on Venables’ defense to pick up the slack. – Rittenberg, ESPN.

With Venables grabbing the reigns, there’s reason for optimism that OU has the head coach to help Oklahoma turn the corner defensively and return to national prominence on the side of the football that has been littered with oftentimes embarrassing moments over the past decade. Since 2012—the year Venables first joined Clemson—Venables’ defenses have led the nation in sacks with 488 and tackles for loss with 1,159.

Oklahoma is replacing six starters on defense: defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, linebacker Brian Asamoah and safeties Patrick Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell.

Up front, Jalen Redmond should be one of Oklahoma’s stars. Over the course of Redmond’s career, the 6-foot-2, 279 pound defensive lineman has registered 48 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 24 career games. OU also added Tulane transfer Jeffery Johnson and Hawaii transfer Jonah Laulu to its defensive line. Johnson had 44 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last season with Tulane, while Laulu recorded 34 tackles, eight tackles for loss and four sacks.

At linebacker, OU got a nice boost when DaShaun White decided to return for another season. White was Oklahoma’s third-leading tackler with 66 last season. Oklahoma also brings back linebacker David Ugwoegbu who finished with 49 tackles.

Plus, there’s so much excitement about sophomore-to-be Danny Stutsman. Stutsman finished 2021 with 38 tackles in 10 games. The Sooners are bringing in Appalachian State transfer linebacker T.D. Roof along with four-star linebacker signees Jaren Kanak, Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis.

In the defensive backfield, OU returns its two starting cornerbacks in D.J. Graham and Woodi Washington. Key Lawrence played both cornerback and safety and appears like he will be a fixture in the Sooners’ secondary. Justin Briles enjoyed a breakout season for Oklahoma and he’s back as well. OU added transfer defensive backs C.J. Coldon and Trey Morrison who have extended playing time from their stints at Wyoming and North Carolina, respectively. Coldon racked up 68 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and had 10 pass breakups in 2021. Morrison ended last season with 47 tackles and four pass breakups.

Again, there’s been plenty of defensive personnel shakeup, but Oklahoma has made use of the transfer portal to replenish its roster to go along with the playmakers OU already had on campus. It may take the first month of the season for the Sooners to gel together defensively, but there’s reason to believe Oklahoma will be better defensively in 2022 and beyond.

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