Tag: Todd Bates

Co-defensive coordinator Todd Bates, Oklahoma working on new contract per report

Oklahoma defensive tackles coach and Co-DC Todd Bates is set to receive a raise and new three year deal per report.

It’s been one heck of a start to 2024 for co-defensive coordinator and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates.

He received a pay bump earlier this offseason and appears headed for another raise according to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports.

According to Zenitz, Bates is set to push his salary up to $900,000 per year as he finalizes a three-year contract extension with the Sooners. The extension rewards Bates for his contributions and comes on the heels of an offseason, where, according to the report, Bates was being pursued by other programs this offseason. Instead, the well-respected defensive line coach will stay in Norman to continue the work of rebuilding the Sooners defensive line.

Bates has been a monumental add for his development of the Oklahoma defensive line in larger part because of his prowess on the recruiting trail.

Bates was the primary recruiter for the Sooners in their pursuit of five-star defensive tackle David Stone. Stone was the first five-star defensive tackle the Sooners have landed in over a decade. He has also helped transform the Oklahoma defensive line that led the NCAA in tackles for loss or for no gain last season.

For Bates, his journey is just getting started. He has yet to see a complete cycle of his recruits manifest on the field. He’s revitalized the interior defensive line at Oklahoma.

Still, this year represents a significant step in competition as his unproven unit will have their first season in the SEC. They will be face some of the best offensive linemen in the country on a weekly basis.

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Oklahoma addition listed as one of the top graded edge transfers in the country by PFF

The Oklahoma Sooners might have found a steal in the transfer portal as a new edge rushers was graded as one of the top transfers by PFF.

The Oklahoma Sooners once again hit the transfer portal hard, hoping to fill holes heading into the SEC next season. One thing that has been glaring these last two seasons is the lack of a pass rush.

So, the Sooners went out and signed one of the best in the portal. Miami (OH) transfer [autotag]Caiden Woullard[/autotag] signed with the Sooners. He finished last season with 41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. That helped Pro Football Focus grade him as the sixth-best edge rusher who hit the portal this offseason.

That was massive for Oklahoma. The Sooners have to get more of a pass rush next season where they don’t have to blitz all of the time to generate that pass rush. If they are able to do that, that will allow them to do a lot more things defensively with their linebackers as well as helping out their defensive backs in the back end.

 

The Sooners already possess one of the more experienced defenses in college football, and Woullard’s three years of playing experience helps. While last year was his breakout year, he had a steady sophomore season, finishing with 29 tackles, five tackles for loss, and four sacks.

The question now is, is the speed of the game too much for him to handle with him moving up from a Group of Five conference to the premier conference in the land? Only time will tell.

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Oklahoma Sooners get prediction for top 50 2025 recruit

The Oklahoma Sooners received yet another prediction for a 2025 recruit, this top for a top 50 defensive end.

The Oklahoma Sooners continue to work to put their 2025 recruiting class together which has a chance to be the best one in the Brent Venables’ era. Right now with nine commits, it’s ranked as a top-five class in the country.

A commit that could be a big help to the class is the state of Oklahoma’s top prospect and a top 50 overall player, [autotag]C.J. Nickson[/autotag]. The 6-foot-5 220-pound EDGE would be a massive get for the Sooners. It seems like the Sooners have done a good job early on in the process as Rivals and OUInsider’s Brandon Drumm submitted a Futurecast for the talented defender.

Nickson had a really good junior season finishing with 54 tackles, five tackles for loss and five pass break ups. He also plays offense where he caught 34 passes for 577 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also a really talented basketball player and 247Sports reports he has offers from Oral Roberts, Tulsa and UT Arlington.

There has been some speculation he might play basketball at Oklahoma along with football. That’s something that would have to be worked out with [autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag].

Nonetheless, Oklahoma currently leads for the talented defender as On3 gives them the best odds to land Nickson. This one feels like there is still a long way to go so there is still a lot more work to be done.

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Pair of Sooners signees stand out at Under Armour All-American Week

A pair of Oklahoma Sooner signees impress at the Under Armour All-American week.

The 2024 Under Armour All-American week is in the books, and two future Oklahoma Sooners impressed all week long. Five-star defensive lineman [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] was mentioned but the surprise might have been from four-star [autotag]Eugene Brooks[/autotag].

247Sports shared their “superlatives” of the week and those two Sooners made the list. Stone was given the “most energy” superlative.

This award last year went to Clemson’s Peter Woods, who went on to make the 247Sports’ True Freshman All-American Team. It wouldn’t be shocking to see David Stone make that same list next year. Stone was as active as anyone on the defensive line this week and fought to take reps in practice, which is rare to see in such a laid-back setting. The blend of Stone’s speed, power, technique and motor should have him on the field sooner rather than later for the Sooners, who spent three years fighting for his signature. – Andrew Ivins 247Sports

Stone had a massive week and only grew the expectations from Sooner fans for his freshman season. He’s become someone some wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t start by the end of next season.

Brooks has kind of flown under the radar, but he put the country on notice. He earned a superlative that probably brings a smile to a lot of Sooner Nation; “best run-blocker.”

No one was better in the phone booth all week than Eugene Brooks, who manhandled opponents during 1-on-1 drills and opened up wide run lanes when things transitioned to 11-on-11 period. Brooks is a natural knee-bender that is quick to establish a firm base and then keep his legs pumping. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Brooks, who owns some of the best shot put numbers in the class, push for early playing time in Norman with the Sooners set to lose four veteran offensive linemen to the NFL Draft. – Ivins, 247Sports

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Oklahoma Sooners 2025 commit among the top performers at the All-American Bowl

An Oklahoma Sooners’ 2025 defensive line commit is listed as a top performer at the All-American Bowl.

With the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] pretty much in the books. Barring any last pushes, the focus now shifts to the 2025 class. The Sooners currently have nine commits and rank No. 4 in the country according to 247Sports.

Over the weekend, the All-American Bowl was held with a number of top-rated 2025 and 2026 recruits in attendance. One 2025 Sooner commit who stood out was defensive lineman [autotag]Ka’Mori Moore[/autotag].

In fact, On3’s Sam Spiegelman listed Moore as his third-best performer from the weekend.

2025 Oklahoma-committed DL Ka’Mori Moore was nifty working off the edge and also taking reps on the inside, where he is an absolute mismatch. Moore showcased a handful of pass-rush moves, including an impressive swim, as well as excellent bend from a 6-foot-2, 310-pound DL. Moore had a strong showing inside the Alamodome on Friday, and fits the mold of an athletic 3-technique that can provide some juice from the interior. – Spiegelman

Moore is currently ranked as a three-star prospect, but with more performances like that, he will almost assuredly move up the rankings. The Lee’s Summit North product will also no longer have to share the line with the nation’s top prospect in 2024, giving him a chance to shine by himself.

Even still, it seems like Oklahoma has a good one heading their way coming signing day next season.

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What does Zac Alley bring to the table as defensive coordinator?

The Sooners are expected to hire Zac Alley as their next defensive coordinator but what can fans expect from the new hire?

On Thursday the Oklahoma Sooners announced they would be mutually parting ways with Ted Roof who had been the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma since 2022. That immediately brought speculation about who the next guy would be for the Sooners.

Would they promote from within with [autotag]Brandon Hall[/autotag], [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] or [autotag]Jay Valai[/autotag]? Or would they look for someone outside the program? Reports started surfacing Thursday night the Sooners were expected to hire Jacksonville State defensive coordinator Zac Alley.

Now, it hasn’t been made official yet but let’s take a look at what Oklahoma could be getting from Alley as defensive coordinator.

Alley has a lot of familiarity with [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. He worked for four years (2015-18) under Dabo Swinney as a graduate assistant at Clemson. Alley spent the entire time on the defensive side of the football, where he worked primarily with the defensive tackles and linebackers.

He would leave there and head to Boise State to be the co-special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. His first opportunity as a defensive coordinator came from Louisiana-Monroe.

He turned what was the No. 125 ranked rushing defense in FBS in 2020 into the 69th-ranked rush defense in 2021. The Warhawks improved in 11 of 14 defensive categories from 2020 to 2021.

He took the same position with Jacksonville State in 2022. 2023 was their first season in FBS.

In 2023, they allowed 352.8 yards per game, 111.5 rushing yards per game, 241.3 passing yards per game and teams converted 32% of their third downs. They also ranked No. 8 in the nation in stop rate, in the 96th percentile in run defense success and 67th percentile in pass defense success.

Jacksonville State led Conference USA in almost every statistical defensive category including, total yards, rushing yards, yards per carry, sacks, forced fumbles, total touchdowns allowed and was second in interceptions.

More: Social media reacts to reports that Zac Alley will be the next defensive coordinator

From reports, Alley is a “mini” Venables. In fact, in an interview with the Post and Courier back on Nov. 2, 2023, he talked about the similarities.

“I laugh about it,” said Alley, the JSU defensive coordinator who learned the trade while working as a student assistant and graduate assistant when Venables was defensive coordinator on Clemson’s best teams. “But I talk like Coach V. I coach like him. My parents tell me my mannerisms are like him on the sidelines.” – exceprt from the Post and Courier article

He also requires the services of a “get back coach” just like his new boss used to. You can even see the similarities from practice when he was Mic’d up at ULM.

All signs pointed to this type of move. Bringing in someone Venables had trust in to run the defense and had a similar philosophy. Venables can hand his defense off to someone so he can be more of a “CEO” type of head coach.

That doesn’t mean he won’t have any part in the defense because he will. Every head coach still has a say in everything going on. It just means he can now focus on other things more because he has someone he trusts leading the defensive group.

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‘There’s just not as many of them’: Brent Venables on the difficulties of recruiting elite defensive linemen

The defensive line is one of the most important position groups on the football field but it’s also one of the most difficult to recruit.

When the announcement was made that the Oklahoma Sooners would be heading to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], there was one thing that had to change about this football program. They had to start winning battles for elite defensive linemen.

That’s one of the reasons why [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] got the job. They knew his track record of building elite defenses that started with elite defensive linemen. He brought with him his defensive line coach [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag], who is an elite recruiter, and also brought [autotag]Miguel Chavis[/autotag] with him, who has proven to be a very good recruiter as well.

They’ve done a very good job so far, landing two five-star defensive linemen in two years. They could add a third in February. Venables talked about the difficulties of recruiting elite defensive linemen in his press conference on Wednesday.

“It’s the law of supply and demand,” Venables said. “There’s just not as many of them. It’s been that way since football became a sport. Rushing the passer, stopping the run, the lines of scrimmage is where the game has always been won or lost. So, that’s not a new thing, but there’s just not as many of them that are able to play at a really, really high level.”

The Sooners have signed five defensive linemen so far this cycle. Those five gave the Sooners one of the best defensive line classes the program has had in the last 20 years. So, you can see Venables is building it the right way.

They just now have to start developing those players and then getting the results on the field.

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7 Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 2024 signing class

The Oklahoma Sooners locked in all 27 commits to their 2024 signing class and here are seven takeaways.

The Oklahoma Sooners found success on the recruiting trail in each of the three cycles Brent Venables has been in Norman. Because they signed all 27 commitments on the first day of the early signing period, the Sooners locked up a third-consecutive top 10 recruiting class.

It was a great day for the Sooners on the recruiting trail. It also was a stress-free morning: The Sooners had their class locked up by 11:30 a.m. CT.

Now they turn their attention to their remaining targets on the recruiting trail, namely Dominick McKinley, who isn’t expected to sign until the February’s national signing day.

Even if they don’t pull off an improbable flip with McKinley, the Sooners have put together another really strong recruiting class on both sides of the ball.

Here are some takeaways from the Sooners 2024 signing class:

Check out more from the [autotag]2024 early signing period[/autotag].

Sooners officially add four-star defensive tackle during the early signing period

Four-star defensive tackle and IMG Academy product Jayden Jackson signs with the Oklahoma Sooners.

If there was one position the Oklahoma Sooners needed to add impact players to ahead of their move to the SEC, it was defensive tackle. And in the 2024 recruiting class, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] have done that.

Making it official during the early signing period, [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] signed his national letter of intent for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Jackson was recently named IMG Academy Defensive MVP for the 2023 season. Yes, the same IMG Academy that five-star defensive tackle David Stone plays for. Jackson was that important to his team’s success.

The four-star enjoyed a steep climb in the recruiting rankings over the summer as analysts dug deeper on Jackson, who is a legit nose tackle. Nose tackles can be difficult evaluations because they’re often doing the dirty work. But Jackson is as good a defensive tackle prospect as there is in the 2024 recruiting class.

He’s a strong and quick player who displays the ability to penetrate and get into the backfield. He displays the strength to take on and beat double teams but has the quickness and burst to create pressure from the interior.

At 6 feet, 2 inches and 300 pounds (already), Jackson provides the size and the ability the Sooners need on the interior as they prepare for SEC offensive lines. The Sooners will be able to deploy him in three- and four-man alignments, and Jackson will be incredibly disruptive.

Jackson received 26 Power Five offers and chose the Oklahoma Sooners over notable teams including Texas, Florida and Miami.

More from the [autotag]2024 Early Signing Period[/autotag]

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Ethan Downs comes up with a big game in win over Texas

Ethan Downs rose to the occasion in a big win over Texas.

Over the last two years, much has been made about the Oklahoma Sooners’ defensive line. All offseason the talk some wondered if this was a unit that could hold this team back.

One player that’s been at the center of some of the criticism was Ethan Downs. On Saturday, he had arguably his best game as a Sooner and put the doubt about Oklahoma’s defensive line to rest.

Downs registered three tackles and two sacks. He was gap sound. He didn’t let plays get outside of him, which was an issue for the entire defense a season ago. He played with an incredibly high motor.

“I always try to play that way,” Downs said after the win. “Today, we were all highly motivated. It was easy for us to go out there and keep pushing, keep grinding but I also happened to fall into some things that other guys have done the last three weeks. We just keep fitting our gaps and keep being a sound defense and it showed up.”

Downs also let Texas Longhorns quarterback [autotag]Quinn Ewers[/autotag] hear about his sacks a few times. He admits the emotions of the game might have gotten the best of him.

“I try not to cuss on the field,” Downs said. “Emotions get wild, but nothing against him, he’s a great quarterback but I was just fired up. Finally got a sack and juiced up. I got plenty of warnings on the sideline. ‘Hey you can’t be doing that anymore. That’s too close.”

For all of the criticism coming into this season about the defensive line, they rose to the occasion. They finished with five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. They also held a really good Texas run game to 156 yards on 3.9 yards per carry.

Now, the Sooners can’t rest on this win. It’s up to them to build on it to ultimately accomplish the goals they set before the season.

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