Oklahoma Sooners

Grantland.com has a feature on the life of Oklahoma offensive tackles/tight ends coach Bruce Kittle, who has lived an interesting life. Kittle is a former Iowa offensive lineman who worked as an attorney, mediator and pastor before coming to the Sooners in 2010 as the recruiting coordinator. Here's an excerpt:

Here's a list of things you can find at the Barry Switzer Center at the University of Oklahoma: a BCS crystal football. An inspirational quote from John Madden. A Sam Bradford statue. An assistant coach who reads the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The coach is Bruce Kittle, who's in charge of the Sooners' offensive tackles and tight ends. Kittle appears before me one afternoon with a shaved head and a goatee and an outfit that looks like it was bought that morning at the OU team store. He's a strange pilgrim in Norman. When Kittle was hired a couple years ago, he'd just returned from a vision quest that spanned two decades and had nothing to do with football. "I wanted to explore some of the unanswered questions the universe presents," he says. Kittle had spent time as a pastor. A prison mediator. A lawyer. I've come to Norman to ask Kittle why he once bolted from college football and how odd it must feel — after exploring the mysteries of the universe — to have returned.

Let's start at the beginning. In 1981, Kittle was a 290-pound offensive tackle for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was the kind of thoughtful, tough guy who gets called "head-coaching material." "Overachiever," says Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, a former teammate. Translated: not an All-American, but destined for big things.

Read the rest of the story here.

Monday, Merv Johnson discussed his time as an assistant at Notre Dame. In the final half of his Q&A, OU’s director of football operations and color analyst for the Sooner Radio Network spoke with SoonerNation about his role in getting Troy Aikman to Norman, the best player he ever coached and his thoughts on the upcoming season:

Jake Trotter: You were the first one at OU to realize how special Troy Aikman was. How did that come about?

Merv Johnson: He was a kid from a small town over in Henryetta that really was a fine-looking specimen, all-around athlete, all sports and everything. Found out, we got him to agree to come to camp. I told Barry [Switzer], you need to look at him. Barry watched him throw, and that was it. There was no arm twisting. He watched him throw the football, and he was 100 percent sold.

Trotter: How did you hear about Aikman?

Johnson: He was kind of a local phenom over there, we get those things all the time. But once you go and eyeball him and see what a physical specimen he is, his personality, then you really get excited.

Trotter: Aikman is one of many Oklahoma kids who went on to great college careers. OU obviously has taken a more national approach to recruiting in recent years. But how important is it to still recruit the Oklahoma kids?

Johnson: It’s critically important. It’s hard. You want to recruit the best player available. When you break down the number of scholarships you have, it’s not very many. And then you count the positions on a team, it’s 22 positions and two kickers, basically. And you may be able to recruit only one linebacker, or two, as an example. And you want the best you can find. The best athlete, best player, the guy that you think can project the furthest. That guy might be off somewhere else, and there might be a pretty good one in Oklahoma. But you can only take one of them. It’s hard, it’s hard – the superstar that you’ve seen really makes you feel like you’ve got a shot. You hate to say, well, we can’t take you because we want to recruit this Oklahoma guy. By the same token, after a very short time, the way recruiting is so accelerated, the youngster in Oklahoma may say, well, they’re not interested in me, I’ going to go somewhere else. And so, it comes down to evaluation, and you can’t do a lot of that, because there’s only so many times you can go to their campus or their games. You have to do a lot of it by video. But you’ve got to collectively as a staff study that player, and make sure you’re OK if you can’t take the Oklahoma kid. You need those kind of guys that always love the program. But if their talent level is not the same, you have to get the best talent you can.

Trotter: So if the Oklahoma kid is even with the national kid, you suggest going for the Oklahoma kid?

Johnson: I think you’d go on it. It didn’t take them long to go on [Sam] Bradford, and guys like that. And I think they had an opportunity with camp here and him being nearby to see Bradford, the coaches recognized what a great future he had. That’s what you have to do. You can’t just let it slip by you that easily.

Trotter: Which OU team you’ve been around was the best?

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Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby on the future of the conference, the playoff system, and the difficulties of the job.

Before he became one of Barry Switzer's most-trusted assistants, Merv Johnson was calling passing plays for Joe Montana at Notre Dame, where he coached from 1975-78. Johnson, OU's director of football operations and color analyst for the Sooner Radio Network, spoke with SoonerNation about his coaching stint at Notre Dame, the veracity of the movie "Rudy," and what is was like to coach Montana in the first of a two-part Q&A:

Jake Trotter: What was the difference between coaching at Notre Dame and Oklahoma?

Merv Johnson: It’s been a long time since I’ve been there. I think there’s nobody that can inspire a team any better than Notre Dame has because they don’t have any fraternities or sororities on campus. Every Friday night they have a fantastic pep rally. It’s big time, especially for a bigger game. You don’t see those on campuses anymore. That’s one place where you do. It gets the players and coaches and everybody jacked up for a ball game as big as you’ll ever see. I used to admire their ability to do that because even then, pep rallies, student body attendance were dwindling a little all across the country. But not there, because it’s the only show in town on Saturday, whether they were home or away. I think essentially they have got a tremendous amount of longtime tradition that those students come there and believe in and rally the support. You can book it; they’ll be ready to play emotionally.

Trotter: Do you have a favorite memory from Notre Dame?

Johnson: Oh, a bunch of them. We won the national championship in 1977, had some great players, [Joe] Montana, Rudy [Ruettiger]. Rudy wasn’t a great player but he’s made a name for himself.

Trotter: How accurate was the movie, "Rudy?"

Johnson: I thought it was pretty close. There were a couple things in there that were totally off-base. You remember when the players threatened to turn their jerseys in, boycott the game if Rudy couldn’t dress? That wasn’t it. A couple of freshmen came in and asked me, we’re not going to play, we know we’re not, let Rudy have our lockers. And the head coach said, 'I think that’s a great idea. Let’s do it.' And they play that up in the movie, which movies have to do. Rudy and [Notre Dame head coach Dan] Devine didn’t have a great relationship, although it wasn’t a problem. But Ara [Parseghian, the Fighting Irish's previous head coach] had been through [Rudy] trying to get into the university. That was Dan’s first year there. But I thought the way they depicted it, his never say die ... he was quick as a cat. He didn’t have great speed, so they played him on the line. And the offensive linemen just had a terrible time with him because he’s all over the place. A little quick guy drives you nuts in practice, and he did. The other thing at the end of the game, I think they played it up, the game with Georgia Tech, they played it up where the QB changed the play to try to score so Rudy could get in. That wasn’t true at all. They jumped into a man-to-man defense, which we had worked on, he audibled like he was supposed to and hit a TD pass, and it gave Rudy his two plays. Other than that I didn’t see anything in there that was far off.

Trotter: What was Montana like?

Johnson: Joe was very likeable. Laid back. Lot of confidence. The great quality he had from the get-go, and it hurt him getting the starting role, he had a lot of confidence in himself and he wouldn’t let a poor play bother him. I think that frustrated the head coach a little bit in practice if a bad play occurred, he didn’t take it as hard as he wanted him to. So it took a little while to win the head man over. But he was just like he was in the pros, had ice-water in his veins, had a lot of confidence. I never saw him panic.

Trotter: Did you have any inkling Montana would do what he did in the NFL?

Johnson: No, because I thought a pro quarterback had to have a cannon for an arm. He had to throw it through a concrete wall. But by virtue of what the coach at San Francisco wanted, the West Coast offense, he was perfect for it. I think that’s what he kind of wanted. He fit perfectly. Extremely accurate. He had a nice arm, but just didn’t have a cannon like some of those guys those days. I just thought that’s what you had to have to play pro ball, and maybe you did for some of those offenses. But not for what he played.

Trotter: Who is the best player you ever coached?

Johnson: That wouldn’t be fair to any of them. There have been so many good ones. Obviously [Montana] was really good. Keith Jackson is one of the best athletes I’ve ever been around for a big man. There’s been a bunch of linemen, but I don’t know I could say they were the best. But those two really stood out for what they did in college and what they went on to do in the pros.

For the first time in 46 years, Notre Dame is coming to Oklahoma. The two proud programs will meet for the 10th time in Norman on Oct. 27. Even though the game is still months away, SoonerNation checked in with ESPN.com Notre Dame blogger Matt Fortuna to talk about what figures to be one of OU’s biggest non-conference home games of the Bob Stoops era.

Jake Trotter: Notre Dame plays so many high-profile games. So how big is this game in Norman for the Irish and their fans?

Matt Fortuna: Jake, at this stage of the summer I would say this one is right up at the top with the annual USC game. (Irish fans would like nothing more than to knock a potentially undefeated Trojans team out of the title race in the regular-season finale.) Notre Dame and Oklahoma are two of the 10 winningest programs in college football history. Great traditions, great uniforms and great history between each other. The fact they haven't played each other in so long adds to the intrigue, but the history shouldn't be lost. Those far older than us will recall that the Irish snapped the Sooners' 57-game winning streak in 1957, a streak that began following another loss to Notre Dame, in the 1953 opener. Oklahoma has never beaten Notre Dame at home, but the Sooners' 40-0 win in 1956 marks the biggest home defeat in Irish history.

Trotter: Other than annual tilts with rivals USC and Michigan, OU will be Notre Dame's biggest road game since when?

Fortuna: I was in the stands for it, but the first one that comes to mind would be the 2007 game at Penn State. Notre Dame crushed its former independent rival a year earlier in South Bend, the schools' first meeting since Penn State joined the Big Ten. The 2007 game, following the Irish's blowout loss to Georgia Tech a week earlier, had a lot riding on it at the time. Jimmy Clausen, then in just his second week of college football, was making his first career start, and the now-infamous Beaver Stadium "White House" made its debut across the entire stadium. The game itself? A bit of a snoozer, so here's hoping the Irish's trip to Norman lives up to the hype.

Trotter: Who will be quarterbacking the Irish on Oct. 27?

Fortuna: Thanks for easing into this one. I have marked Andrew Hendrix as the starter since Brian Kelly said it would be an open competition at the beginning of the spring, but Everett Golson's strong spring game -- coupled with the other three's turnovers -- makes me think more and more that he could be the guy come Week 1. Tommy Rees' experience gives him a shot, but his lack of mobility, last year's turnovers and this spring's arrest will probably make it an uphill battle for him.

Trotter: What has to happen for Notre Dame to have a chance of knocking off the Sooners?

Fortuna: As always, it comes down to limiting the mistakes on the offensive end. And, once again, that comes back to quarterback play. The Irish probably should have won 10 or 11 games last season but shot themselves in the foot so often by giving the ball away. If they can limit the turnovers and get some of their running backs and slot receivers into open space, they will give themselves a chance at pulling the upset. (They also better hope Charlie Weis doesn't share any secrets with the Sooners during their matchup the preceding week.)

Trotter: Where can OU most exploit Notre Dame?

Fortuna: Simply, the secondary. Jamoris Slaughter and Zeke Motta are good safeties, but Notre Dame is breaking in two cornerbacks with no starting experience this season. Could Slaughter play some emergency corner? Sure, but that's less likely now that Austin Collinsworth, the Irish's third safety, is probably out for the year with a shoulder injury. If Notre Dame's talented front seven can't generate enough pressure on Landry Jones, and if Jones plays the way we all think he is capable of playing, that could spell trouble for the Irish.

Just like his dad, Rhett Bomar wants to coach high school football after he's done playing. This weekend, Bomar has gotten a glimpse of what that will be like.

The former Oklahoma quarterback returned to The Sooner State to work as a counselor for the DeBartolo Sports University Elite Quarterback and Receiver Academy, held at Shawnee High School.

“I enjoy working with kids,” Bomar said. “My dad was a football coach, so I’ve been around it. I think eventually that’s what I’ll get into, hopefully later down the road. I enjoy helping out, helping the kids out, teaching them.”

Bomar got involved with the camp through former OU offensive coordinator Joe Dickinson, who runs the passing program.

“We hit it off right away,” said Bomar, who got a call from Dickinson the summer before his senior at Sam Houston State to work a camp in Santa Barbara, Calif. The two have grown close and Dickinson has helped train Bomar ever since.

“He used to coach Oklahoma back in the day, so he wanted to help me out,” Bomar said. “He’s a great teacher of the quarterback.”

Bomar’s story needs little introduction in Oklahoma. Formerly the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country, Bomar was kicked off the Sooners in 2006 for taking money for hours not worked at a car dealership. He transferred to Sam Houston State and became a fifth-round pick of the New York Giants in the 2009 NFL draft. Bomar has since bounced around the league, most recently with the Oakland Raiders, who released him in May. Bomar, who lives in Las Vegas, is hoping to land another roster spot before next season.

After a film session with several high school quarterbacks from the Oklahoma City area, Bomar spoke with SoonerNation about his time at OU, what he learned from his experience in Norman, and the last time he spoke with Bob Stoops:

Jake Trotter: How often have you come back to Oklahoma?

Rhett Bomar: Not that much. I’ve come up here to work out with [Dickinson] two or three times. He’s in Dallas a lot training guys and I’d go and work out with him there.

Trotter: Is it weird for you to come back here?

Bomar: No. That was the first time I've flown into [the Will Rogers World] airport in awhile. I haven't been to that airport in a long time. Usually I was just driving up from Dallas. It’s a little weird, just because I used to be here. I used to be up here, went to school here, would go to Oklahoma City, do all that stuff. Driving through it, it's kind of different. I try not to pay attention to it. I just try to focus on getting some work done here for a couple days.

Trotter: Do you keep up with anyone from your time at OU? Any teammates or coaches?

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ESPN Insider's Travis Haney ranked the top head coaches in college football today. Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, who has 139 wins in 12 seasons with the Sooners, lands at No. 4 on his list.

The coaches were evaluated in four comprehensive categories:

• Recruiting and development: Can the coach reel in the players? What happens once they're on campus, whether they're 2-star or 5-star recruits?

• Preparation and game day: How does the coach get his players ready for games, and what sort of adjustments is he able to make once inside the rigors of the 60 minutes?

• Perception and reception: How is the coach received by fans -- and, more importantly, boosters? How is the coach perceived by outsiders of the program, including media types?

• Consistency and sustainability: Is this coach a flash in the pan, or has he done it over time and possibly in multiple locations? Has he created a lineage?

Here's part of what Haney wrote about Stoops:

Being good is difficult. Being good for an extended period of time is damn-near impossible in this era of college football. But the Sooners have yet to really dip since Stoops took over in 1999 -- and won the national championship the following season.

They have won 10 or more games nine of the 11 seasons since the title. The Sooners have played for three more BCS championships since then. Some criticize Stoops' inability to win those games, but you've got to be in them to even have a shot.

The seven Big 12 titles in 12 seasons is simply jaw-dropping. Consider that Mack Brown has won just two in one more season at Texas.

Read the rest of the article here.