Tag: Parnell Motley

Oklahoma’s Parnell Motley makes 53-man roster for Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One of the surprising moves that shouldn’t have been surprising took place on Friday. Parnell Motley has made an NFL 53-man roster.

One of the surprising moves that shouldn’t have been surprising took place on Friday.

Oklahoma’s Parnell Motley was one of the best cover corners in the Big 12 in 2019. After a tumultuous first two years of starting in 2017 and ’18, Motley found a groove under new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and cornerbacks coach Roy Manning.

The Sooners kept him on an island, and he shutdown many of the best receivers in the Big 12.

The Oklahoma corner wasn’t invited to the 2020 NFL Combine, nor did he get drafted. Motley was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. Now, he’s made the Buccaneers 53-man roster as a rookie undrafted free agent.

Motley had picked off Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady multiple times throughout Tampa Bay’s preseason training camp and was talked about by head coach Bruce Arians more times than not. It should be no surprise that he made the roster, but in reality, it is.

All three graduating or early-NFL Draft entrants (Motley, Neville Gallimore and Kenneth Murray) have made their 53-man NFL rosters ahead of the 2020 roster.

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Former Oklahoma CB Parnell Motley showing ‘a lot of promise’ in Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach Bruce Arians has high praise for his newest CB, former Sooner Parnell Motley

Directly following the 2020 NFL Draft, it took all of fifteen minutes for Motley’s post-draft status to upgrade from undrafted free agent to newly-signed Tampa Bay Buccaneer. Since arriving in Tampa, he’s kept that promptness, both on the field and off of it.

Besides turning heads with his quick feet, Motley is also speeding toward a potential roster spot with his new team. Should he earn one, according to head coach Bruce Arians, it will be on special teams, at least for the time being.

“He’s had a great camp as a DB, for him to get in that lineup it’s gonna have to be on [special teams], and he’s working his tail off finding his spot on STs,” Arians said. “But he’s shown a lot of promise as a CB, he’s got really good hands, he’s not dropping any INTs.”

Motley intercepted QB Tom Brady during the team’s first padded practice last monday.

Motley shined during his senior year at OU, holding seven of his 15 matchups to zero catches. Despite a strong campaign, he was not invited to the NFL Draft combine, seemingly sealing his fate as an undrafted free agent.

Nonetheless, Motley is making the most of his time in Tampa, and it appears that his hard work is paying off.

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Oklahoma’s Parnell Motley starts hot at Tampa Bay training camp, intercepts Tom Brady

There is no lack of confidence in former Oklahoma corner Parnell Motley. He picked off Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady in Tampa Bay camp.

There is no lack of confidence in former Oklahoma corner Parnell Motley.

The Sooners’ corner went through a very up-and-down career at Oklahoma. Motley was replaced during the Oklahoma State game in 2017, struggled again in 2018 and then turned it on in 2019.

The lack of consistency turned into one of the most consistent corners in the country in 2019 under new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. It did not, though, prove to matter all that much as Motley was snubbed from the NFL Combine and then went undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft.

It didn’t take long for someone to pick him as an undrafted free agent, and the Tampa Bay Bucaneers are eyeing Motley to make the roster his rookie season. He could not have gotten off to a better start, intercepting Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady in the first day of padded practice.

Later on in Monday’s practice, Motley about nabbed a second one.

He was a first-team All-Big 12 selection by media and a second-team pick by coaches in 2019. Motley’s five forced fumbles was good for second nationally and his 13 pass break-ups were a team high.

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Oklahoma’s Parnell Motley signs undrafted free agent deal with Tampa Bay, per report

Per a report from Darren Wolfson, Motley agreed to terms with the Buccaneers after having talks with the Minnesota Vikings.

Parnell Motley will get an opportunity to play with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.

Per a report from Darren Wolfson, Motley agreed to terms with the Buccaneers after having talks with the Minnesota Vikings.

Surprising quite a few around the league by going undrafted, Motley was expected to be picked up n the third day of the draft between rounds five and seven.

A three-star recruit out of Washington D.C., Motley arrived at Norman in May of 2016 and earned his way into the starting cornerback role by 2017.

In his sophomore season, he finished with a career-high 49 solo tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss.

In his final year as a Sooners, Motley finished with 31 solo tackles and one interception. Alex Grinch, the first-year defensive coordinator who preached aggression and the importance of forcing turnovers, helped him improve from just one forced fumble in two years to five in his senior season alone.

Motley finished his career as a Sooner with 130 solo tackles and 176 in total. He had 7.5 tackles for loss and six interceptions.

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Kenneth Murray will not be a participant at Oklahoma’s Pro Day

Kenneth Murray will not be a participant at Oklahoma’s Pro Day tomorrow.

Kenneth Murray will not be a participant at Oklahoma’s Pro Day tomorrow.

The projected first-round linebacker tweaked his hamstring while running the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine just two weeks ago.

Before pulling his hamstring, Murray posted solid numbers to keep him in the first round range and maybe become the first linebacker taken overall. Murray ran a 4.52 40-yard dash on his first go for sixth-best out of the linebacking group before pulling up on his second attempt. He was also sixth-best in the vertical jump at 38 inches and was third-best among linebackers with a 10-foot-9-inch broad jump.

Although unable to participate in on-field drills following the hamstring injury, Murray impressed most off the field. One anonymous NFL general manager said that Murray’s interview was the “single greatest combine interview I ever had.” High praise for the former Sooner has moved Murray up draft boards around the league. Projected as a first-rounder, Murray has slid up from the back end of the first to the middle of the pack in the first round due to his athleticism and wits.

At Oklahoma in his junior season, the star linebacker recorded 102 tackles of his 325 career tackles. Finishing his Sooners career with 36.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, six pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.

Scheduled participants for Oklahoma’s Pro Day are WR Nick Basquine, DL Dillon Faamatau, DL Neville Gallimore, S Kahlil Haughton, QB Jalen Hurts, WR CeeDee Lamb, DL Kenneth Mann, WR A.D. Miller, WR Lee Morris, CB Parnell Motley, DL Marquise Overton, OL R.J. Proctor, and RB Marcelias Sutton.

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Colts met with two prospects at East-West Shrine Game

Colts met with two prospects at the Shrine Game.

With the postseason heating up as the championship games arrive Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts were hard at work during the week of practices for the East-West Shrine Game.

The first of the collegiate All-Star weeks for the offseason, the Colts only reportedly met with two prospects throughout the week. These interviews should be taken with a grain of salt as most teams make contact with any player that might be on their draft board, regardless of where they are sitting.

According to Walter Football, the Colts only met with two players during the Shrine Game week. The two players listed were Oklahoma cornerback Parnell Motley and Berry wide receiver Mason Kinsey.

Motley, a senior out of Oklahoma, stands six feet tall. In his four seasons as a Sooner, Motley recorded 176 tackles (130 solo), six interceptions and 39 passes defended. He also recorded 7.5 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles.

Kinsey stands at 5-foot-11, 187 pounds according to the Berry team website. During the 2019 season, he recorded 65 receptions for 1,221 yards and 16 touchdowns. He scored 50 touchdowns over the last three seasons at Berry.

These interviews should be taken with a grain of salt, but they should be noted once we begin to get closer to the NFL Combine and eventual draft in April.

In his final game, Parnell Motley gave Oklahoma everything he had

There’s something to be said about a guy who never lets up when it would have been easy to move on. Parnell Motley kept fighting.

ATLANTA — In the waning moments of LSU’s 63-28 drumming of Oklahoma in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, respect was handed out.

The Sooners sideline was somber. Some with towels over their head. Others with their heads down, staring blankly into the ground.

Then, in front of the benches, Oklahoma cornerbacks coach Roy Manning and senior corner Parnell Motley embraced. They hugged for nearly five minutes.

Manning was speaking into Motley’s ear. Motley nodded at times in agreement with what he was saying. Not a tear was streaming from either.

It was a moment between a rising, unexperienced coach that some questioned with a lack of credentials and a senior who bought-in to the culture and coaching on his way to his best year of his Oklahoma career.

“He was saying thank you, man,” Motley said after the loss. “He was saying when he got here, that nobody believed in me and he said thanks for sacrificing and shaping me into the player that I always wanted to be. And he said keep doing your thing and keep fighting and always do good at the next level cause he had been through it from experience and keep your head up and keep going and never stop going.”

Motley will admit that he had some mental lapses in the game.

None bigger than the Thaddeus Moss 62-yard touchdown pass, where he was supposed to be in cover three, but played man-to-man instead and vacated the LSU third of the secondary for Moss to catch and take it to the house.

In his final game in an Oklahoma uniform, Motley played from the first snap to the last. The score never changed his attitude or the effort he played with.

He was seen making run fits in the second half. He was still trying to get his licks in on Biletnikoff Award winner Ja’Marr Chase—who trash talked Motley earlier in the week, begging him to try and be physical with him, and only recorded two catches, with neither coming when Motley defended him. Still trying to fly around and make plays.

There’s something to be said about a guy who never lets up when it would have been easy to go ahead and move on.

“That’s Mot—he’s an ultimate competitor,” Manning said after the game. “You’ve seen all season, he doesn’t sub much. That’s just him. He wants to be out there. When it’s a one-point game or really, when we are leading the game by 20, he wants to be out there. He is a really, really competitive guy and I think that’s his edge. I think that’s what makes him him.

“Even tonight, when the game is a little bit out of hand, he’s still out there making tackles, fitting a run and covering guys. Those are the things that you hope that as a coach you get to coach a guy that is that way that truly, truly loves this game. And I think Mot does, so again, I am proud of him.”

Motley’s Oklahoma career wasn’t the smoothest.

He was benched against Oklahoma State in 2017. He was a part of a defense in 2018 that forced Oklahoma’s offense to have to score on almost every drive. He was ejected for kicking a player against Kansas State in 2019.

But he fought back. Was a role model for his teammates on-and-off the field. Had his teammates back at all times.

In his final year when he could’ve done his own thing and then moved on with his life, he was a part of the heartbeat of the Oklahoma defense that rebounded. Motley bought-in, had his best year of his career and likely set himself up to be drafted come April for the NFL Draft.

And when he could’ve finally given up down 42 against LSU, Motley didn’t.

He gave Oklahoma everything he had.

“I don’t even care if they’re up 50 or we’re up 50, I’m going to play my heart out and I most certainly say that I did today,” Motley said after the game. “I played my heart out, man. We were saying, ‘if tomorrow wasn’t promised, what would you give today,’ and I can most certainly say I gave it all today to the potential that I wanted to be.”

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LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase not too impressed with Oklahoma corner Parnell Motley

The trash talk is still flying but it is still coming from just one corner of the ring. Ja’Marr Chase was not too impressed with Parnell Motley.

The trash talk was flying, but it was coming from just one corner of the ring.

It began with LSU linebacker Patrick Queen, who started the day by saying the Tigers are going to “dominate” the Sooners offense.

Biletnikoff Award winner and LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was not holding any punches when asked about facing Parnell Motley.

“Nothing stands out about him too much. I watch him.” Chase told reporters at Peach Bowl media day.

“I see he’s — I don’t know if he’s that long. I don’t really know how tall he is. I see he’s kind of fast. He’ll try to put your hands on somebody just a little bit, but I’m ready for it. I want him to put his hands on me.”

When asked why Chase had a simple response: “Because he’s going to feel me then.”

Motley, on the other hand, was very complimentary of not just Chase, but the entire Tigers receiving corps.

“That’s crazy. Tight hips and physical? Watch the film, watch every play and what I do.” Motley said.

“It’s all good. We’re going to sit in our corner. Our coach told us not to talk trash and be complimentary. That’s what I do, be complimentary. They do a great job, great receivers, they have great hands and great speed. I’ll leave it there.”

The two will become very acquainted with one another as they will be the premier matchup on the outside when Oklahoma is on defense.

The Sooners kickoff against LSU on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 3p.m. CT on ESPN.

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Six Oklahoma players selected to AP All-Big 12 First-Team

Honors continue to roll in for Oklahoma after the 2019 season as six Sooners were named to AP’s All-Big 12 First Team.

Honors for Oklahoma players after their Big 12 Championship season continue to roll in.

CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Hurts and Creed Humphrey have been named to multiple All-American lists already, and now six other Sooners have been recognized after AP released its All-Big 12 teams Friday.

Lamb, Hurts, Humphrey, defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, linebacker Kenneth Murray and corner Parnell Motley were named AP All-Big 12 First Team.

Running back Kennedy Brooks, defensive end Ronnie Perkins and kicker Gabe Brkic were named AP All-Big 12 Second Team.

Hurts was up for the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards, Lamb for the Biletnikoff and Humphrey for the Remington at Thursday’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show.

None of them won.

Oklahoma has one more appearance during this trophy tour as Hurts will go through the Heisman Trophy presentation Saturday night in New York City.

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Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, Creed Humphrey named All-Americans by The Athletic

CeeDee Lamb and Creed Humphrey continue to show why Lincoln Riley and Bill Bedenbaugh are one of the best coaching duos in the country.

CeeDee Lamb and Creed Humphrey continue to show why Lincoln Riley and Bill Bedenbaugh are one of the best coaching duos in the country.

CeeDee Lamb, already being named a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated was named first-team All-American by The Athletic as well.

Lamb’s prolific season is being well recognized as he is widely considered one of the best, if not the best wide receiver in college football.

Creed Humphrey, the anchor of the Sooners’ offensive line made second-team All-American. Becoming the leader of the line after Oklahoma had the other four linemen graduate or leave early for the NFL, Humphrey settled into his role nicely, despite having a third different quarterback in as many seasons.

Oklahoma did not have any defensive members make the list as Parnell Motley showed up late to the party and Kenneth Murray slowed his roll towards the end of the regular season. However, two Big 12 defenders made the teams; Baylor defensive end James Lynch (first-team) and Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks (second-team).

Oklahoma and LSU face off in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Dec. 28 at 3:00p.m. CT on ESPN.

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