Oklahoma football: Analyzing spring roster changes

Brayden Willis moves from tight end to h-back

Going back to his commitment, Brayden Willis has always come off like the kind of versatile athlete who will find a way to contribute to your team. Back in high school he played a little of everything and filled in at quarterback when Arlington Martin last its starter his senior year.

Last year he continued to show that versatility by becoming an important special teams player for the Sooners. He blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown against Kansas and appeared in 13 of the Sooners’ 14 games.

He also showed some skill catching the ball in a rare appearance on offense against Baylor, snatching a pass and rumbling 29 yards in his lone target.

What does this mean for the program? Keep a close eye on this move, as it could end up being one of the most deceptively-important for the Sooners in the offseason.

Oklahoma is clearly not worried about depth at the tight end position, where Grant Calcaterra and Lee Morris return and freshman Austin Stogner could press for early playing time in an already-crowded field.

Willis has a diverse skillset and he’ll be working directly under rising coaching star Shane Beamer. With the way Lincoln Riley likes to attack defenses, look for Willis to leak out of the backfield and become a deadly weapon in the Sooners’ offense. He also has the size to handle the blocking duties that come with the fullback spot. His presence could allow the Sooners to go from a basic “21” personnel with two backs and a tight end to four and five wide without making a substitution. Imagine of Oklahoma lines up in a power set on a third-and-one and converts, then runs Willis and say, Grant Calcaterra out wide on the next play in a hurry-up set. That’s at the very least going to cost the opposing defense a timeout and at most could cost them a touchdown. It’s something the Sooners had with Dimitri Flowers and could have again with a guy like Willis.

Also, it could be fun to yell, “What you talking about Willis?” after he makes a big play.