OU Football News: Three Defensive Players Leave Sooners
Oct 27, 2012; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners cornerback Gary Simon (27) with his team prior to the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Oklahoma Sooners announced that sophomore cornerback Gary Simon, sophomore defensive tackle Marquis Anderson and junior defensive tackle Damon Williams have all left the OU football team.
Last year, Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops had high praise for cornerback Gary Simon. While the player only played in four games in 2012, while recording only five tackles, Stoops said Simon had almost unlimited potential. Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops agreed with this sentiment and seemed like he was ready for Simon to make a difference in the Sooners’ secondary.
However, Mike Stoops also felt that Simon needed some work. The player played basketball in high school and he needed to work on his football skills. Now, he won’t have the chance, at least not in Norman.
Even worse is the loss of Anderson and Williams. Anderson only had five tackles and didn’t record a stat after the Texas Longhorns game and Williams only had statistics in one game in 2012, with two tackles against Kansas. That doesn’t matter because the Sooners need defensive tackles in 2013. Jamarkus McFarland, Casey Walker and Stacy McGee were seniors last season, so the team is without their three most experienced players and need someone to step up.
Maybe Anderson and Williams weren’t the men to do that, but they were at least bodies. Now, Jordan Phillips, redshirt freshmen Jordan Wade and junior Torrea Peterson are the only scholarship defensive tackles left on the OU football team. The Sooners did sign four tackles this year, but none of them have enrolled yet, so OU heads into the Spring Game with only three scholarship players at the position.
There is hope that one of those new signees will be ready to play in 2013. Those names include Matthew Romar, Charles Walker, Kerrick Huggins and JUCO Quincy Russell. Whoever the Sooners bring in to replace fired defensive line coach Jackie Shipp will have a lot of work to do to patch this line up in 2013 for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Source: ESPN