Zac Alley – Syndication Server

Defensive Coordinator target Jim Knowles heading to Penn State per Report

The Oklahoma Sooners are still looking for their next defensive coordinator as Jim Knowles is reportedly heading to Penn State.

The Oklahoma Sooners were rumored to be in discussions with Ohio State defensive coordinator [autotag]Jim Knowles[/autotag] to replace [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag], who departed for West Virginia. Well, in a turn of events, it looks like Knowles is staying in the Big Ten and joining James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

According to KREF radio host and Oklahoma radio play-by-play voice Toby Rowland, the Nittany Lions are set to make Knowles the highest-paid coordinator in college football. ESPN’s Pete Thamel also confirmed Rowland’s report.

“Reliable sources confirm that barring last-second change of heart, Jim Knowles is headed to Penn State,” Rowland said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He has notified James Franklin that he’ll accept their offer of well over $3 million to be highest-paid coordinator in college football history. Knowles is from Philly.”

Knowles helped Ohio State have the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation in 2024. In 2023, the Buckeyes finished No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense.

Oklahoma will now pivot in their defensive coordinator search. Brent Venables could take over playcalling duties for the Sooners in what could be a make-or-break season for the Sooners head coach.

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West Virginia gave Zac Alley a significant pay raise, per Tulsa World

Former Oklahoma Sooners defensive coordinator received a significant pay increase to move to Morgantown.

When the Oklahoma Sooners lost former defensive coordinator/linebackers coach [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] to the same position at West Virginia late last month, it was a jarring surprise to say the least.

OU head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] still hasn’t replaced Alley with a new defensive play-caller, and not many fans thought the first-year coordinator would be leaving.

But, according to a report by the Tulsa World’s Eric Bailey (Subscription Required), the young coach received a significant pay bump to go from Norman to Morgantown.

According to Bailey, the Mountaineers and Alley’s new boss, head coach Rich Rodriguez, nearly doubled Alley’s salary with the Sooners. Alley made $850,000 in 2024. According to the report, Alley will make $1.5 million a year and receive a moving $100,000. West Virginia will also be paying Oklahoma $350,000 to buy Alley out of his contract.

Alley spent only the 2024 season at OU but called the best defense the Sooners have had in years under Venables’ direction. Venables hired him to replace former DC Ted Roof just a year ago, and fans quickly took notice of the similarities between Alley and Venables and the pair’s outspoken admiration for each other.

Alley had a past with Venables from their days together at Clemson but also had a past with Rodriguez at Louisiana-Monroe and Jacksonville State. He’ll return to his former boss in 2025, adding the title of assistant head coach to the role he had at Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners are still searching for someone to replace Alley as the Sooners’ defensive play-caller.

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Oklahoma Sooners defensive coordinator hire will have a lot to work with

Whoever Oklahoma hires to be their defensive coordinator will have a lot to work with.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a hard time holding onto coordinators during Brent Venables’ tenure. For the second consecutive offseason, the Sooners will replace both offensive and defensive coordinators.

Last year, Seth Littrell took over for Jeff Lebby, who took the coaching job at Mississippi State. Zac Alley, who is reportedly heading for West Virginia, took the reins of the defense from Ted Roof.

After a disastrous season on offense during which injuries, inexperience and innovation held the Sooners back, Oklahoma landed one of the hottest offensive coordinators in the country, Ben Arbuckle.

Now, Venables has another decision to make.

But with his track record on defense and his connections across the game, finding a defensive coordinator that’s a fit for the Sooners coach shouldn’t be an issue.

Oklahoma boasts a strong defensive corps despite the departures of Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman to the NFL. There are several players up in the air, like R Mason Thomas, but OU will still have an intriguing group of talented players to work with on defense.

Despite what 2024 was for the Sooners and the hot-seat nature of Venables’ status in 2025, Oklahoma is still an attractive job.

The Sooners will have several strong candidates to choose from, both in-house and across the country. Whoever they bring in will have a great deal of talent to work with in 2025.

The safety room is still loaded with Peyton Bowen, Reggie Powers, Michael Boganowski and Jaydan Hardy. If Robert Spears-Jennings returns for another season, it’ll bolster that group further.

At linebacker, Kobie McKinzie, Kip Lewis, Lewis Carter, Samuel Omosigho and Jaren Kanak represent a blue-chip linebacker corps that has the speed and athleticism to continue to produce at a high level for the Sooners.

Cornerback showed it has some intriguing up and coming talents in Eli Bowen and Jacobe Johnson. If they can get Gentry Williams healthy and on the field for a full season, cornerback will continue to emerge as a reliable part of the Sooners defense.

The defensive line may have the biggest questions. But that all depends on the NFL draft decisions of R Mason Thomas, Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton. If all three return, the Sooners’ defensive line will be really good again in 2025. That trio, along with Jayden Jackson, were key to Oklahoma’s success up front. Additionally, the development of David Stone, Danny Okoye, Adepoju Adebawore, Danny Okoye, Nigel Smith and Wyatt Gilmore provide the Sooners defensive front with blue-chip talent to deploy.

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Oklahoma Sooners lose defensive coordinator to West Virginia per report

Oklahoma Sooners defensive coordinator leaving for West Virginia.

The Oklahoma Sooners lost the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl against the Navy Midshipmen on Friday, but the bigger loss for the program came on Saturday.

According to multiple sources, but first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, first-year defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] is finalizing a deal to step into the same role at West Virginia. This represents a major loss for the program, as coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] will have to find a new defensive play-caller and linebackers coach heading into a huge 2025 season.

Venables was Alley’s mentor for many years when the pair worked together at Clemson, however Alley chose to leave for the Mountaineers, where he’ll rejoin coach Rich Rodriguez in Morgantown. Rodriguez was hired to coach WVU this month, replacing Neal Brown. Alley and Rodriguez worked together at Jacksonville State before Venables brought him to Norman.

It’ll be a third different defensive coordinator for Venables in his four seasons at OU. Alley replaced Ted Roof, who called the plays for the first two seasons of the Venables era, but left last winter. Now, less than a year after arriving at Oklahoma, Alley is gone.

It marks the second straight season Venables will break in new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Jeff Lebby was the offensive coordinator for the first two seasons and was replaced by Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley. That disaster led to Littrell’s firing, Finley’s promotion and eventual demotion, and the hiring of Ben Arbuckle.

Now, Arbuckle will not be alone as the new guy on staff: Venables is once again looking for a new coordinator.

It’s another shocking twist in the OU football landscape: Alley was believed to be returning in 2025. Getting poached by a Big 12 program such as West Virginia, especially for a guy that seemed so close to Venables, is a bad look to say the least.

Alley was asked in Friday’s postgame about the possibility of him leaving and had this to say:

“Every year, there’s going to be something that comes up with jobs and whatnot, man, but I’m just excited about our team,” Alley said. “I think coming back next season, we’re going to have a great opportunity to be successful, be a top defense in the country, and, hopefully, we got some young guys who can come along to help us do that.”

Alley led the best defense the Sooners have had in years in 2024, but it turns out that will be his only season in Norman. As if Venables didn’t already have enough on his plate going into 2025, this, along with keeping any more defensive players from leaving in the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag], now becomes one of his top priorities, as he tries to keep the program from circling the drain in Norman.

Former Oklahoma Sooners linebacker commits to Nebraska

A former Sooner linebacker is headed back to the Big Ten.

As the NCAA’s winter [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] churns, the Oklahoma Sooners have had a number of players enter. They’ve also added a few via the portal and aren’t done.

The latest former OU player to find a new home is linebacker [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag]. McCullough is one of seven Oklahoma defensive players to enter the portal this cycle. He committed to Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, one of Oklahoma’s oldest rivals.

McCullough is a two-time transfer. He spent two seasons in Norman after arriving by way of Indiana. The former freshman All-American and All-Big Ten player is heading back to a conference he is familiar with.

McCullough was a rotation piece for the Sooners in 2023 and was expected to have a big role in 2024. However, he suffered a toe injury before the season, which caused him to miss the first five games. He came back for the final seven games, playing a couple of different positions at the second level of the OU defense. Now, he’ll head back to the Big Ten and will be a versatile, athletic piece for Nebraska to plug into its defense.

McCullough, along with Kani Walker, are a couple of players who had a significant role on Oklahoma’s defense over the last couple of seasons and left viat he portal.

Head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] will be bringing back a large chunk of production on the defensive side of the ball.

Where does the Oklahoma defense rank in stop rate after the regular season?

Analyzing where Oklahoma Football ranks in defensive stop rate after 12 games.

This year, the Oklahoma Sooners boasted the best defense they’d had in a long time. It may not have been the elite unit that head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] were shooting for, but it was still the best in years.

Unfortunately, OU’s offense fell off a cliff, the Sooners went just 6-6 in 2024 and posted just a 2-6 record in Southeastern Conference play. Despite a rough performance in the finale against the LSU Tigers, it’s been a good season overall for this defense.

One metric that shows how well the Oklahoma defense played this year is “stop rate.” ESPN and staff writer Max Olson compiled all 134 FBS defenses in 2024 after the regular season, ranking them by their defensive stop rate.

What is stop rate? It’s a basic measurement of success: the percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. – Olson, ESPN

Exiting the final week of the regular season, Oklahoma’s defense ranks 23rd in the country, stopping the opposition 69.7 percent of the time. That’s an 11-spot drop from last week, and it’s also a drop of over two percentage points in stop rate after the Tigers rolled offensively against this unit. However, the Sooners allowed just 1.53 points per drive over 12 games.

The highest stop rate in the country belongs to the rival Texas Longhorns, who are headed to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] Championship Game on Saturday.

The job Venables and Alley did with the defense this season was excellent, especially considering the woeful place it was in when the head coach found it three years ago. No one can argue that he hasn’t improved that side of the ball mightily.

However, it’s what he does on the other side of the ball that will determine whether or not the Sooners get back to the place they want to be alongside the elites of college football. Venables has bet his head coaching career on new offensive coordinator [autotag]Ben Arbuckle[/autotag], whom he hired on Monday.

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3 keys for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the LSU Tigers

3 keys for the Oklahoma Sooners against the LSU Tigers.

Week 14 of the 2024 college football season brings us the Oklahoma Sooners matching up against the LSU Tigers. OU is currently 6-5 overall and 2-5 in Southeastern Conference play, as the final week of the regular season features a key matchup in Baton Rouge.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team secured a 26th-straight bowl berth last week with a surprising 24-3 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Now Oklahoma is looking to guarantee a winning record this year and improve their bowl destination.

To get a second-straight win, the Sooners will need to play excellent football on the road against a very good team. The Tigers looked like one of the best teams in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] earlier this season before losses against Texas A&M, Alabama, and Florida put a damper on their season. Still, they are capable of playing with the best of the conference, getting wins over teams like Ole Miss and South Carolina earlier this year.

LSU is coming off of a bounce-back win over Vanderbilt, and it’ll be Senior Night at Tiger Stadium. They are also looking to improve their bowl game and send their seniors off with a win over a blue blood program.

Here are three keys for Oklahoma, as they try to take down the Bayou Bengals.

1. Handle the Atmosphere

Night games in Death Valley can get incredibly rowdy, and that’s exactly the environment the Sooners are walking into on Saturday night. The Tigers have one of the best homefield advantages in all of college football, and that place will be rocking.

The Sooners haven’t handled road atmospheres very well this year, with their only road win coming at Auburn. The quarterback who started that game ([autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag]) won’t be starting this week. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], who started road losses against Ole Miss and Missouri, will have to step up and lead his troops in an environment that will be way tougher than Faurot Field.

2. Another Epic Defensive Performance

The OU defense was on fire against Alabama last week, shutting down the Crimson Tide offense time and time again. One of the most explosive offenses in the conference was powerless to move the ball against [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag]’s unit.

LSU goes about things a bit differently on offense, but they’re still effective. Garrett Nussmeier isn’t a heavy run threat, but he’s thrown for nearly 3,500 yards this season. His weapons can hurt you, as the Tigers are very good at the skill positions. As per usual this season, it’ll be up to the defense to win this game.

3. New Wrinkles on Offense

The Sooners ran the ball almost at will last week, and it was effective. LSU has had a week to prepare for what Oklahoma did against Alabama, so there will have to be some new things in the playbook.

The general tone should stay the same. OU needs to run the ball, run the quarterback, hold onto the ball and shorten this game. LSU has struggled with quarterback run game, allowing Jalen Milroe and Marcel Reed to have big days against the Tigers.

That’s the primary recipe for success for this team, with all of their obvious limitations on offense. The Tigers will almost certainly load up the box this week, forcing the Sooners to throw the ball. Can Arnold do that? It’s the question that might decide this game.

Oklahoma and LSU will kick off at 6:00 p.m. from Baton Rouge, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Where does the Oklahoma Sooners defense rank in stop rate in 2024?

Where does the Oklahoma Sooners defense rank in stop rate this year?

This year, the Oklahoma Sooners boast the best defense they’ve had in a long time. It may not be the elite unit that head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] are shooting for, but it’s still the best in years.

Unfortunately, OU’s offense has fallen off a cliff, and the Sooners are just 6-5 in 2024 with one regular season game left. However, the OU defense was unbelievable in the upset win over Alabama last week.

One metric that shows how well the Oklahoma defense has played this year is “stop rate.” ESPN and staff writer Max Olson compiled all 134 FBS defenses in 2024, ranking them by their defensive stop rate.

What is stop rate? It’s a basic measurement of success: the percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. – Olson, ESPN

Heading into the final week of the regular season, Oklahoma ranks 12th in the country in stop rate, stopping the opposition 72.1 percent of the time. It’s one spot below Miami (Ohio) and one spot above Indiana. The Sooners allow just 1.41 points per drive.

The job Venables and Alley have done with the defense this season has been excellent, especially considering the woeful place it was in when the head coach found it three years ago. No one can argue that he hasn’t improved that side of the ball mightily.

However, it’s what he does on the other side of the ball that will determine whether or not the Sooners get back to the place they want to be alongside the elites of college football.

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

Former Oklahoma Sooner among the NFL leaders in sacks

The Denver Broncos uncovered a pass-rushing gem in the 2022 draft from Oklahoma.

Former Oklahoma Sooners linebacker [autotag]Nik Bonitto[/autotag] is in the midst of an excellent 2024 season for the Denver Broncos. The third-year pro has been on a tear lately, and people are beginning to take notice.

Bonitto is currently tied for second in the NFL with nine sacks. He’s just 2.5 sacks behind Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson for the lead league. He had a bit of a slow start to his professional career, but things have definitely clicked for him this year, as he’s getting after opposing passers like few others in the league.

Bonitto was selected by the Broncos in the second round (64th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft after four seasons in Norman.

He started for Oklahoma over his final two and a half years, registering 14.5 sacks over the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Bonitto made the game-sealing play of Oklahoma’s comeback win over the Baylor Bears in Waco in 2019. Trailing 28-3, the Sooners stormed back to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive with a 34-31 win. Bonitto’s interception of Baylor QB Charlie Brewer on the Bears’ final drive ensured that OU would walk away with a victory.

Under former outside linebackers coach Jamar Cain, Bonitto developed into a game-changing pass rusher that’s developed into one of the NFL’s best. He’s recorded 17 sacks over the last two seasons, breaking his mark from a year ago in just 11 games.

Where does the Oklahoma Sooners defense rank in stop rate this season?

The Oklahoma Sooners are among the nation’s best in defensive stop rate.

The Oklahoma Sooners boast the best defense they’ve had in a long time this year. It may not be the elite unit that head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] are shooting for, but it’s still the best in years. Unfortunately, OU’s offense has fallen off a cliff, and the Sooners are just 5-5 in 2024 with two regular season games left.

One metric that shows how well the Oklahoma defense has played this year is stop rate. ESPN and staff writer Max Olson compiled all 134 FBS defenses in 2024, ranking them by their defensive stop rate.

What is stop rate? It’s a basic measurement of success: the percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. – Olson, ESPN

Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, Oklahoma ranks 18th in the country in stop rate, stopping the opposition 70.8 percent of the time. It’s one spot below Tulane and one spot about Northern Illinois. Remarkably, that’s only the sixth-best mark in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Even more remarkable is that the Sooners have faced five of the top 17 defenses by this metric in the country: Texas (fourth), Tennessee (fifth), Ole Miss (seventh), South Carolina (15th), and Tulane (17th). OU’s next opponent, Alabama, actually has a higher stop rate than the Sooners as well, as they sit at ninth.

Oklahoma allows just 1.50 points per drive, which is impressive considering the fact that the Sooners have defended the most drives in the country this season, according to Venables, and they’ve been forced to play with a lot of short fields due to turnovers on offense.

However, it’s what he does on the other side of the ball that will determine whether or not the Sooners get back to the place they want to be alongside the elites of college football.

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