Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma football: Storylines to follow as training camp kicks off

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma Defensive Back Jayden Rowe (27) goes through drills as the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU ) hold fall football camp outside The Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022 in Norman, Okla. (Alonzo Adams/For The Oklahoman).oufoot -- print jump
Oklahoma Defensive Back Jayden Rowe (27) goes through drills as the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU ) hold fall football camp outside The Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022 in Norman, Okla. (Alonzo Adams/For The Oklahoman).oufoot -- print jump /
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OU defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey (8) flattens Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy (15) with a hit during the Sooners’ 28-21 win in 2022.ou-isu — cfbrefer
OU defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey (8) flattens Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy (15) with a hit during the Sooners’ 28-21 win in 2022.ou-isu — cfbrefer /

Can the Sooners make appreciable improvement on defense?

The 2022 Oklahoma defense was an embarrassment to Brent Venables and the entire team. Nobody will deny that. The irony is that was one of the big reasons Venables was hired after the sudden departure of Lincoln Riley. Venables was an Oklahoma fan favorite and one of the Sooners’ own having spent 13 seasons on Bob Stoops’ coaching staff, and in a 10-year stint at defensive coordinator at Clemson, Venables built and led one of the best defensive units in college football.

The 2023 defense should be better, but the big improvement everyone is watching for will likely come about in 2024 and beyond. For 2023, though, the Sooners have added several defensive players from the transfer portal that should start having an impact immediately. Transfer names to watch include defensive end Rondell Bothroyd from Wake Forest, linebacker Dasan McCullough from Indiana, who is only a sophomore this season, but may be the most impactful of the defensive transfers, and safety Reggie Pearson, a highly physical player from Texas Tech.

It’s been an eternity seemingly since Oklahoma recruited a five-star defensive player. How about two of them in the Sooners’ 2023 class. Defensive lineman P.J. Adebawore and defensive back Peyton Bowen come with extremely high credentials out of the high school ranks, and they should see action early in the season and often as value-added to the defensive rebuild Venables is undergoing.

This is not to say, however, that Oklahoma does not have returning defensive talent. The aforementioned additions join returning defensive starters D-linemen Ethan Downs, Reggie Grimes and Isaiah Coe, linebacker Danny Stutsman and defensive back Woodi Washington.

To address the initial question: A year in Venables’ defense should make any defensive player better.

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