5 Sooners to watch on defense in the Oklahoma spring game
There’s something to be said about how exciting this particular spring game will be for Oklahoma Sooners’ fans far and wide. A new head coach ushers in a new era with a new defensive staff and a fresh, proven mind at offensive coordinator. A new vision will be on display while the Sooners have an abundance of position battles that need to be sorted out.
For now, we’ll focus on the defensive side of things where there’s been significantly more turnover and also the heaviest influx of new faces that will debut in Crimson and Cream for the first time this weekend.
Brent Venables’ wizardry as a defensive coordinator is widely known. It’s no stretch to say he’s probably been year in and year out the best defensive coordinator in college football for the last decade. He returns to the school that really catapulted his career in Oklahoma as the head coach but you can rest assured he brought his elite defensive coaching with him. He retooled the defensive staff entirely and led the charge into the transfer portal as the Sooners went shopping for defensive bodies to fit Venables’ scheme for the immediate future and the years to come.
With that said, here are five players to watch for as we see a glimpse at what Brent Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof have in store for Big 12 offenses this fall.
DB Kani Walker
For the sake of transparency, this is not a name that was on the radar as one to watch when he joined the Sooners from Louisville largely because it seemed likely cornerback D.J. Graham would cement himself as a starter in the new defense.
We very clearly underestimated the power of Kani Walker, who came to Norman ready to work and has excelled in the weight room and has shady good showings on the practice field as well. Walker, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound redshirt freshman from Georgia, has come to Norman on a mission and it’s helped that he was getting a completely fresh start and wasn’t fighting for depth chart status. The Sooners virtually had both cornerback spots open as the new regime opened up the depth chart for competition.
Walker has ran with it and is positioning himself for some significant playing time. He’ll be an interesting player to track all season especially with the injury history of guys like Woodi Washington.
LB Jaren Kanak
This list seems almost like it would be incomplete if we didn’t include the freak athlete of freshman Jaren Kanak. Kanak’s athleticism and size has been well documented and the anticipation for his debut in Crimson and Cream is getting national attention.
Kanak’s blend of size, speed, and football I.Q. drew Brent Venables back home to his home state of Kansas to recruit Kanak to while Venables was still the defensive coordinator at Clemson. Venables’ connection with Kanak trumped all and Kanak flipped from Clemson to Oklahoma with Venables.
Kanak joined a talented LB room featuring Danny Stutsman, Dashaun White, David Ugwoegbu, T.D. Roof, and Kobie McKinzie. Where Kanak fits in remains to be seen but he figures to be an important rotational player for that LB group at the very least. It will be interesting to see how he looks in live action in front of a packed house.
Jeffery Johnson, DT
Jeffery Johnson created havoc for the Sooners in their first game of the season against Tulane. In the opener, Tulane played Oklahoma tough from beginning to end.
Johnson entered the portal after the season and was an immediate target of defensive tackles coach Todd Bates upon his arrival to Norman.
Johnson is the perfect example of how fans can expect Oklahoma defensive tackles to look under Venables as the transformation begins. Standing at 6-foot-3 and north of 300 pounds, Johnson is a monster in the interior and will likely be the starter next to Jalen Redmond inside.
He’s had a productive college career up to this point. In four seasons with the Green Wave, Johnson played in 42 career games totaling 135 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and ten sacks.
He has a vital role in a prestigious program and has one last shot to play for a championship. We look forward to seeing how he matches up against the Sooners’ offensive line.
Key Lawrence, S
Key Lawrence has a massive role in this defense as one of its more vocal, athletic, and physical players. He has all the things you want in a defensive back and can play all the positions in the secondary. For Ted Roof and Brandon Hall, he’s likely one of your starters at safety. .
After starting to show his ability later in the 2021 season against teams like Kansas, Texas Tech, and Iowa State, Lawrence comes into 2022 with high expectations. With Delarrin Turner-Yell and Pat Fields gone, Lawrence will need to be a leader in the secondary.
How does he handle his new role and the new defense he’s had to learn? Will he fill the playmaking safety void created by Turner-Yell and Field’s departures? These are just a few questions we will be looking to get some sort of answer to come Saturday.
Ethan Downs, DE
Replacing Nik Bonitto and Isaiah Thomas may seem like impossible tasks but the Sooners have to find some production from their edge rushers. Enter Ethan Downs, who sat behind both the NFL-bound pass rushers and had an opportunity to learn the collegiate ropes.
This defense installed by Roof and Venables is predicated on its pass rush and when the pass rush is working, it’s very hard to stop. In other words, finding production from their new defensive ends is paramount. Downs has already received support and acknowledgment from his teammates who applaud his motor and work ethic.
His motor never shuts off and at defensive end that plays extremely well. As the Sooners try and replace the production lost by Bonitto and Thomas, take note of Downs’ performance and how things manifest heading into the summer at that position.
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