What we learned in OU preseason camp: Defense

We are a week away from the OU football season getting underway. The Sooners have been working at camp all this month, preparing for Year 2 under Brent Venables.

As Oklahoma shifts toward game preparation instead of camp, a look back at what the last month taught us about Team 129 and the 2023 Sooners.

Defense

Defensive end

What we learned: You’re starting to see leadership emerge with a familiar name in Ethan Downs but also Wake Forest transfer Rondell Bothroyd has stepped up for OU. Trace Ford has not been this healthy in ages, and Reggie Grimes is ready to ‘just play ball.’

You can hear the excitement surrounding freshman P.J. Adebawore, but it’s too early to know just how quickly he’ll be in the rotation. And R Mason Thomas should be ready to take that next step.

What we don’t know: Think it’s fair to say we don’t know the OU starters. It feels like Downs and Bothroyd will be the guys. The rotations are unknown at this time as well. But you do feel very confident in what this group looks like compared to 2022.

Quotable

“It’s a really weird sport. Because on one end, you are competing against the guy, but you also love these guys so much. They’ll have my back if I need anything and I’ll have their back. But yeah, you want to be the star, you want to be the dude. The main thing is you can’t let your brother’s success mean it’s a failure to you. They are your brothers. You have to celebrate that. They are going to celebrate you to. That’s the biggest part, it comes with maturity. The immature person says ‘oh, he’s got all these sacks, that means I’m going to get less playing time.’ No, celebrate your brother and let me go out and get one so I can join the party. It’s a race to the quarterback.” – Reggie Grimes

Defensive tackle

What we learned: Expect a different Isaiah Coe this season. He wasn’t a knucklehead by any means before, but you can hear a different tone in his voice. Coe and Jordan Kelley are going to anchor this group.

A healthy Kelvin Gilliam gives OU more to work with. He is now around the 300-pound mark and could be on the verge of a breakout season. And Jonah Laulu is working to keep on all that good weight he put on. Gracen Halton’s development seems to be going well.

What we don’t know: What transfers Da’Jon Terry, Jacob Lacey and Davon Sears are bringing to the table? They’re going to be crucial for the interior guys to stay fresh and, hopefully, make plays. If everything else is better, but defensive tackle isn’t? It won’t be the 2023 that it could be.

Quotable

“I don’t want to give myself credit, but just having people like me, Jordan Kelley, Kelvin Gilliam and Gracen Halton, just guys who were already here. We can help elevate them. When we got here, all we had was the coaches. We didn’t have like a player or a leader who came from Clemson who could show us the defense. So now we can show them on defense. They don’t have to necessarily be where we’re at, but we can bring them ahead of where we were last year.” – Isaiah Coe

Inside linebacker

What we learned: Eh, learned is the wrong term, but Danny Stutsman has cemented himself as the guy for this group. It’s no surprise, but you can appreciate how he’s embracing the OU leadership every single day.

The linebacker depth is as good (we think) as it has been in a long, long time. There are a lot of pieces that could come together and make something special happen.

What we don’t know: Is Jaren Kanak ready for the spotlight? Can Konnor Near adjust to life at a Power Five and Big 12? With his incredible size, will Kobie McKinzie be able to move in space enough to effectively play the position? You feel confident about these answers, but you don’t know just yet.

Quotable

“When you’re trying to step up as a leader, you can’t bring that intensity down any bit. Coach Venables does a tremendous job always being *212. So that’s something when you step on this field, you can’t have an off day. Everyone looks up to you to set the standard. So you’ve gotta push through that wall, those days you’re tired, your body hurts, you’ve gotta find a way to get past that because you know everyone’s looking at to you and you’ve gotta be a spark plug for the defense.” – Danny Stutsman

Cheetah

What we learned: It’s a 1a. and 1b. thing between Justin Harrington and Dasan McCullough. Not just a runaway winner as maybe first thought. The Harrington preseason hype is here once again.

What we don’t know: Whether Harrington can put it all together for OU after camp ends. Perception was McCullough would be the guy, but Harrington was talked about more in camp. Does that actually mean anything?

Quotable

“They’re going to both play. Both long. Both athletic. They’re both competitive. And I know they both have their own strengths and areas to improve on. But they’ve both earned the right to play.” – Ted Roof

Cornerback/Nickel

What we learned: Woodi Washington is playing the role of mentor but also needs a stablemate at the other corner spot. True freshman Jasiah Wagoner continues to get talked up a bunch. It sounds like the freshmen group of corners will be something special.

What we don’t know: Jay Valai told Gentry Williams don’t wait to be great. But we honestly didn’t hear much about Williams all camp. Is that a concern? Will there be a legitimate No. 2 starting cornerback? Or will everyone get a chance, and it’ll work itself out during the season?

Quotable

“It could be a game where you don’t know who starts on the other side of you or starts beside you. Like you said, it’s really competitive. That’s a great thing because it forces guys that don’t normally get to play, they get to come into the game and play and take as many reps as they can. And the guys that do play a lot of minutes, they can kind of get a breather when they’re out there.” – Woodi Washington

Safety

What we learned: This might be the position where a lot of things cleared up for OU. Incredibly rave reviews for Reggie Pearson and Peyton Bowen let you know they’re going to figure big-time in the plans. Billy Bowman is one of your starters, and then someone had to win the job for the other spot. That’s nice, instead of getting it by default.

What we don’t know: Pearson and Bowen are your newcomers, but what’s going on with returners Key Lawrence and Robert Spears-Jennings? That’s five names for two spots, how will the shuffling work out? Will everybody stay positive and accept their role?

Quotable

“It’s confidence. Not just from me but the whole defense and the offense. Being in the system more than one year — for me my freshman year I played with a whole different staff. My sophomore year I played with a different staff. Now it’s my second year in the same system along with other guys on the defense who are returning and the offense. So I feel like confidence allows you to compete at an even higher level. when you get comfortable in a certain situation, it allows for just twice as fast a reaction. Knowing what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Last year we knew what we were doing, but we didn’t know why we were doing it. So now that we know that why factor, we can play much faster, much more confident and make more plays.” – Billy Bowman

The post What we learned in OU preseason camp: Defense appeared first on On3.