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Oklahoma football: Summer arrival profile – Kori Roberson

By Christopher Dukes

NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 10: The Oklahoma Sooners take the field before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 48-47. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 10: The Oklahoma Sooners take the field before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 48-47. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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The Sooners scored a nice recruiting win when they convinced Manvel, Texas’ Kori Roberson to sign on the dotted line.

The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Kori Roberson picked Oklahoma over the likes of Georgia, Alabama, LSU and others and aside from the talent he brings to the table, also provides a great pipeline into one of the most talent-rich schools in the Lone Star State. (Even more impressive considering the Sooners’ tumultuous defensive coordinator situation at the time).

Watching his film, Kori Roberson is big, strong and pretty agile for his size. He may still be a bit of a project at the next level, but he has all the talent to grow into a major contributor for the Sooners in the future.

What he brings to the table

Roberson played a lot of defensive end in college, often lining up in a five technique (shaded over the outside eye of the offensive tackle). He had the speed to rush from the outside, the power to hold the middle and the awareness to get his hands up to bat down passes.

There’s still a lot of raw ability flashing in Roberson that could be harnessed into even more results with the right coaching and weight training.

Anyone who has watched the Sooners play over the past couple of seasons knows that Oklahoma is in need of guys who can get into the backfield and disrupt the quarterback. Roberson could very well be one of those guys in the future.

Where he fits in

The real question for Roberson is whether he will end up being a true defensive end or shift down to the tackle or nose spot in Alex Grinch’s scheme.

Quick-twitch defensive linemen have a home in Grinch’s scheme and with a little extra muscle and some coaching Roberson has the skills to potential develop into a disruptive defensive tackle or even nose guard.

Remember that the Sooners are still a bit short handed on the interior defensive line after the departure of both Ron Tatum and Derek Green, plus Michael Thompson’s move to offense, which leaves an opening for the right guy to climb up the depth chart quickly.

The question of course is how long would a transition like that take? Could Roberson get there in just a few months and be ready to contribute this season? Could he be a guy who benefits from the four-game redshirt rule later on down the line?

dark. Next. Oklahoma football: Help coming at defensive tackle?

Either way, Kori Roberson is a name Oklahoma fans will want to remember, even if they have to wait a year or two to hear it again.

About this series

We are taking a look at every Oklahoma football summer enrollee from the 2019 class. In this series we will examine each player’s high school/junior college achievements, what they bring to the table for the Sooners and where they fit in to the big picture in the 2019 season.

Previous spotlighted players include:
Rhamondre Stevenson – Running back
Ty DeArman – Safety
EJ Ndoma-Ogar – Offensive guard

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