Stormin in Norman
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OU Football Numbers You Need to Know: Meet Will Johnson, No.

By Chip Rouse

Nov 21, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver KaVontae Turpin (25) catches a pass past Oklahoma Sooners cornerback William Johnson (12) during the second half at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver KaVontae Turpin (25) catches a pass past Oklahoma Sooners cornerback William Johnson (12) during the second half at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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We’re under two weeks now before the start of the 2016 season, and there are some OU football jersey numbers you to familiarize yourself with heading into the new college gridiron campaign.

Oct 17, 2015; Manhattan, KS, USA; Oklahoma Sooners cornerback William Johnson (12) breaks up a pass intended for Kansas State Wildcats wide receiver Kody Cook (19) during the Sooners 55-0 win at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2015; Manhattan, KS, USA; Oklahoma Sooners cornerback William Johnson (12) breaks up a pass intended for Kansas State Wildcats wide receiver Kody Cook (19) during the Sooners 55-0 win at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /

One such number is 12, the jersey numerals of Will Johnson, who will see a lot of time on the Sooner defensive unit this fall.

In his second season at Oklahoma, Johnson has been used primarily on passing downs as a fifth defensive back in the position they call the “nickelback.”

Sooner assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Mike Stoops has employed a 3-4-4 defensive alignment the past few season, going with the depth Oklahoma has had at the linebacker position. With three starters at that position gone from last year’s team, we are likely to see more 3-3-5 alignments from the OU defense this season, with Johnson serving as a cross between linebacker and defensive back.

Oklahoma went with a similar defensive alignment a few seasons back when the Sooners were having difficulty defending against the pass-heavy offenses in the Big 12 and giving up too many big plays.

Johnson, rated a four-star recruit by ESPN.com, played his freshman season at Monroe Community College (Rochester, N.Y.) before transferring to Oklahoma. He started three games last season for the Sooners at the nickelback position.

Because of his size (6-foot, 192 pounds) and quickness, he will be used in several different ways this season.

“We’ll play five DBs more this year than we did last year just because of the quality of player Will is,” Mike Stoops told OU beat writer Ryan Aber of the Oklahoma City Oklahoman recently.

The redshirt junior from Baltimore, Md., will be a fifth pass defender in certain situations, but he will also serve as a pass rusher in certain instances, operating in much the way Eric Striker did from the outside linebacker position the past three years.

The bottom line is, Sooner fans should hear Johnson’s name called a lot more in 2016.

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