Jaren Kanak included on ESPN’s true freshman All-American team
The arrival of Brent Venables brought a new culture and defensive identity to the Oklahoma Sooners. The other thing it brought was the arrival of four-star athlete Jaren Kanak.
Kanak, who was committed to the Clemson Tigers, was encouraged to stay committed to Venables’ former team, but the Hays, Kansas, native wanted to play for Venables. He even went the Baker Mayfield route of enrolling at the University of Oklahoma without the promise of a scholarship.
Kanak was a priority target for Venables when he was still at Clemson, creating significant excitement for what he might bring to the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Sooners have solid depth at the top of the chart in DaShaun White, David Ugwoegbu and Danny Stutsman. However, the linebacker room took a hit with the season-ending injury to transfer T.D. Roof. That creates a situation where Kanak could work his way onto the field sooner rather than later.
The Sooners already have a strong linebacking corps, but Kanak is going to be a great player. Whether it’s special teams or in a hybrid safety/linebacker role (like Isaiah Simmons at Clemson under Venables), Kanak is too good a football player to keep out of the lineup. – Luginbill, ESPN
Kanak has the athleticism to be a difference-maker early in his Oklahoma career. Kanak has track speed that will allow him to contribute on special teams early, but he could also be a player the Sooners’ defensive staff deploy in certain matchups.
According to reports, Kanak was one of the guys that stood out during the strength and conditioning program.
We’ll more than likely see a lot of Kanak in the first couple of games against UTEP and Kent State. If he can get on the field early in those contests or find meaningful snaps against Nebraska in Week 3, we’ll get a better indication of what his role might be with the Oklahoma Sooners defense in Year 1.
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