Oklahoma football: Help coming at defensive tackle?
Is true freshman Marcus Hicks ready to compete for playing time at defensive tackle?
Spring football was kind to the Sooners’ roster in most respects, but if there is one major area of concern when it comes to depth, it has to be defensive tackle.
The Sooners lost three potential contributors on the interior of the defensive line when both Derek Green and Ron Tatum decided to transfer and Michael Thompson moved over to the offensive line.
Yes, LaRon Stokes’ strong performance in the spring game was a boon for the group’s depth, but gaining one potential contributor while losing two leaves Oklahoma still searching for guys to not only fill out roster spots, but become potential difference makers at one of the most crucial positions.
Being able to go two and even three deep at defensive tackle without a major drop off in quality is often the difference between depth and championship-level depth and the Sooners are always looking for players to add to the rotation.
One option might be incoming true freshman Marcus Hicks. The Wichita, Kan. product comes in with an impressive athletic pedigree as the 5A Kansas state wrestling champion in the 285-pound division this past year. Since then he’s added nearly 30 pounds of muscle with an intense offseason workout regimen and now weighs in at 275 pounds.
We're coming down to our last track practices, with State being this weekend. Hopefully, @HarcusMicks99 will bring home another state title. He's over 275 lbs now, gaining over 30 lbs since March, and if you know anything about throwing, that's a challenge in and of itself. pic.twitter.com/0IDnOTO7g5
— Kelvin Hicks (@khicks71467) May 22, 2019
Hicks was a defensive end in high school, where he alternated between standing up and getting down in a three-point stance. He was a disruptive force in either case, becoming one of the best pass rushers in the state with a strong first move off the ball.
If he is able to continue to add muscle without losing any of the speed and quickness he displayed in high school, it could make him a nightmare on the interior defensive line, especially in a scheme like the one Alex Grinch will employ at Oklahoma.
Grinch once turned 252-pound defensive tackle Hercules Mata’afa into a consensus All American by using slants and pre-snap movements to accentuate his skillset. Could Hicks be the next in line for such treatment?
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Only time will tell, of course as the Sooners are also hoping for big years out of guys like Stokes, Dillon Faamatau and Zaccheus McKinney, but whether he’s ready to contribute this season or in the future, adding Hicks to the interior defensive line depth chart will certainly go down as a win for Grinch.