Oklahoma football: Parnell Motley off to stellar start

After an up-and-down first three years in Norman, Oklahoma football’s Parnell Motley‘s 2019 season is off to an all-conference level start.

The senior has been nothing short of lights out so far this season so far for Oklahoma football, leading the country in fewest yards allowed per cover snap, according to Pro Football Focus.

After playing mostly on special teams as a freshman, Motley impressed through the offseason between his first and second seasons and eventually won the starting corner job going into the 2017 season.

Motley turned heads early, coming up with a pivotal interception against Ohio State and added a pick-six the following week against Tulane, but struggled down the stretch against opponents like Oklahoma State.

In 2018 he shook off some early problems and quietly became one of the most consistent players on the Sooner defense, finishing the season as an honorable mention All Big 12 selection and tying for the team lead with three interceptions.

While his 2018 improvements might have flown under the radar, the jump he’s made so far in 2019 is making people take notice. Under the direction of new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and position coach Roy Manning Motley is finally delivering on the sky-high promise he showed way back in his sophomore year when Baker Mayfield nicknamed him “D.C. Island” due to his hometown of Washington D.C. and ability to lock down one-on-one with receivers in practice.

Of course Motley will see much better competition as the season goes on, starting this week with a Texas Tech group that always seems to find ways to put pressure on opposing secondaries, but Motley’s play – alongside the play of fellow corners Tre Brown and Jaden Davis – gives Oklahoma a real chance to make a move and put last year’s No. 129 ranking against the pass behind them for good.