Spring Practice Preview: Defense & Special Teams

By Charlie Gaasch

Defensive Line

The defensive line will follow the theme of returning production for the Sooners defense. The emotional leader of the room will lead this section off. Ethan Downs is returning for his senior year in Norman. Downs, started at DE for a second year in a row and is returning deliberately to improve for the draft next year. He can do just that by showing he can compete against the best tackles in college football after having a down year last year. This spring Downs needs to help the younger group while preparing to face better and quicker pass blockers. Improving speed will be crucial as last year he was often just half a second from making a big play. Getting into the backfield quicker will be tougher in the SEC but not impossible with his skillset should he improve speed. Trace Ford will come back for a sixth collegiate year and looks to build his resume for the NFL. To do this he will need to find a more physical attack in the rush game and be able to meet ball carriers with more aggression. Another enormous return is Da’Jon Terry. Enormous is the right word for him not just because of his impact but his size: 6’3 and 321 lbs. Terry could benefit from more speed and though it seems impossible for players that size to do, it’s not. He would instantly improve his stats with more speed this offseason but if not, the linebackers will not complain that he continues to just fill up space across the line. Another large defender returning is former Notre Dame grad transfer Jacob Lacey who followed Da’Jon Terry’s announcement. He has always been vocal and well loved by teammates and this should double down for next year. Lacey hopefully will take up a deeper mentorship role for the young defenders coming in this season. The two most exciting young defenders are five-star David Stone and four-star Jayden Jackson, both from IMG Academy. David Stone is outstanding at such a young age, but not without critique. Stone can make his presence felt with his speed and skillful handwork. Spring ball will be for Stone to meet high level competition to prove himself and hopefully improve on anchoring the line against the run game. His high school and now college teammate Jayden Jackson already looks like a bear on the field with his size and will likely continue to put on weight. This will make him a formidable force in the run game. Improving in the pass rush will be good for Jackson this spring as he develops into a college player.

Linebackers

Danny Stutsman. Stutsman has the ability this year to cement himself as an all-time Sooner great in his final year and it all starts in spring. Most would not have expected to be having these conversations right now as he was assumed to be long gone for the NFL. However, here we are and here he is. Stutsman, already the leader of arguably the entire locker room, must continue to double down on just that this spring. This is his year and his team to lead. Arnold is rising and learning but Stutsman is there.

Stutsman needs to work this spring to be more physical in engaging the offensive line rather than attempting to go around them. In doing so, he can become a better pass rusher even when a lane is not open for him to make a play. In coverage, he could jump sooner as often he meets a receiver slightly late and gives up yards after catch because of this. Upon a midseason injury to Stutsman, Kip Lewis filled in and in doing so became a budding star. Lewis led the team in tackles for his first game as a replacement in Stillwater. Strength and size improvements this spring could help Lewis going forward into the SEC as a middle linebacker. Presently, he is just over 200 lbs, though this has not proven to be a significant issue as of yet. Jaren Kanak, however, does have a significant issue to take care of this spring and it led to a reduced role as the season progressed. Kanak led the linebackers this past season in missed tackle rate at 25 percent. Tackling became a struggle for Kanak midway through the year and if he cannot improve that in spring, he will not last much longer as a linebacker as there is rising talent. Kobie McKinzie is one of those rising talents in the linebacker room. McKinzie had to fill in during the Kansas game as Kanak could not bring a ball carrier down. McKinzie is extremely intelligent and recognizes plays, schemes, and alignments very quickly. Spring ball will require him to work on balance and footwork specifically in the pass rush.

Overall, Lewis and McKinzie are probably the two players I am most excited to see in action this spring as they are great compliments to one another and have the potential to really take over the defense under Stutsman’s leadership. Last but not least is the cheetah, Dasan McCullough. Cheetah, being Brent Venables’ hybrid position combining a linebacker and defensive back. McCullough, who is a natural pass rusher, needs to show a significant amount of development in the coverage game. There is still plenty of room for improvement to touch up on foot work while backpedaling this spring. 

Defensive Backs

The Sooners’ defensive back room for 2023 was hit or miss. When healthy, the room performed well but severely struggled when injured. Overall, the group had the second most interceptions in the country at nine and that was led by safety Billy Bowman. Bowman is set to return for 2024, a decision that created a domino effect for the defense. He is a strong leader and led the team in picks as well as finishing second in the nation in that same stat. Bowman must help develop the younger safeties like Makari Vickers and Peyton Bowen in his final year. While making many big plays, Bowman needs to work on play and route recognition as it develops. This combined with better field vision will drastically improve his game and explode the defensive backfield. With the departure of Key Lawrence, multiple players will get more playing time such as Peyton Bowen and Robert Spears-Jennings although Spears-Jennings took over for Lawrence late in the season anyway. Freshman Peyton Bowen, when on the field, was a playmaker last season. Bowen covers large spaces of the field with strong acceleration and mobility. Where he needs to improve this offseason is in big hits and play recognition. Strength and reps should be plenty of help as he is not anywhere close to behind in development. Robert Spears-Jennings has a fantastic big hit ability that he likes to show off whenever he can. That combined with his speed makes for a dynamic combo. Developing in coverage will solidify a significant role for the Sooners this season. One other name to watch for in the safety room is Reggie Powers, a recent signee. Powers has received a good deal of praise this winter from coaches and players alike. He is incredibly aggressive and speedy, covering the entire field. His play style makes him a good fit to play down in the box. Powers’ size would be nice to have on the back end as well, giving him something to work on this spring as he prepares to compete with a deep safety room. As for the corners, in theory there are clearly two who stand apart.

Gentry Williams was stellar to start the season, raking in four picks in six games before getting injured. The injury led him to miss a lot of time and he never quite produced at the same level when he returned. He looked out of his groove and was rusty. Unfortunately, the shoulder injury continued to worsen and Williams had surgery a few weeks ago and will miss time recovering. Woodi Washington was expected to head for the NFL but he like many others chose to return to Norman. Washington will hold the other side of the field down and work to improve his craft in his final year. Washington is physical with receivers and while that often works, does lead him into penalty issues. Cleaning that up in spring ball is necessary for a clean defensive backfield this season. Should neither of these corners work well there is a hopeful bright spot in San Diego State transfer Dezjhon Malone. Malone is heading into his senior year with the Sooners and has corner and safety experience. He will add depth and work on improving play recognition this spring. The Sooners will also add Jeremiah Newcombe, Eli Bowen, Michael Boganowski and others to a deep signing class that will each need to develop in spring fast to see playing time this fall.

Special Teams

Zach Schmitt is the largest concern for the OU special teams heading into spring. While he improved his field goal percentage from 2022-2023 from 66 percent to 71, it remains a concern up in the air. Most of the fanbase has very little confidence when he takes the field, and it is often not surprising to see an important kick missed. Hard work in the offseason can give the Sooners confidence and consistency which will allow for decisions to be made more comfortably when it comes to needing points on the board. Schmitt has no choice but to improve as there is simply no room for error. Keep an eye out for incoming freshman kicker Liam Evans to show what he can do as well. 

One other significant question mark on special teams is at the returner position. There was not much consistency through the season as for who returned kicks. There was a large quantity of returners, but none stood out for very long. That is something OU coaches must consider and answer in the spring, so it does not linger into the season the way it did last year. 

Spring is when football teams are made. OU has a tall task to create team 130 as they head into a tougher conference and schedule than they have ever seen. There is much to work on but there is much hope as well. Hard work is a part of what makes a Sooner who they are and each person in Norman will have to prove why they own that title. Everything here is attainable, and should the players and coaches come together to make it happen, the fall will be incredibly exciting for Sooner fans across the nation.