Oklahoma Sooners

The SoonerNation staff is wrapping up Oklahoma's 10-3 season by answering 10 questions, just like we did during the Sooners' bye week in November. Today:

Who is the Sooners' assistant coach of the season?

Defensive ends coach Bobby Jack Wright
After he was doused with Gatorade at the Insight Bowl, rumors ran rampant that Wright was retiring from coaching and moving into an administrative position. If that turns out to be the case, Wright will end his long career with a phenomenal coaching season. Under Wright’s tutelage, Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis both had breakout seasons, while R.J. Washington and David King turned into viable backups. The talent at the position prompted the Sooners to implement the “Endy” package, using four ends on the field at once in obvious passing situations to great success.
- Jake Trotter

Defensive ends coach Bobby Jack Wright
Wright did a superb job with the Sooners' defensive ends. Frank Alexander had a breakout season, Ronnell Lewis was a terror at the other defensive end spot, David King’s versatility and talent showed at times and R.J. Washington began to fulfill the potential he showed out of high school. Wright coached up his group to have strong starters and very solid depth.
- Brandon Chatmon

Receivers coach Jay Norvell
Norvell has played a big role in the development of Ryan Broyles. But his biggest accomplishment might have been not to let Jaz Reynolds become another “what might have been” story. He stuck with Reynolds, and it paid off. On the recruiting trail, 2012 has been a banner year for Norvell as he helped land three of the top 17 wide receivers in the nation and OU is still in the hunt for No. 1-ranked WR Dorial Green-Beckham (Springfield, Mo./Hillcrest).
- Bob Przybylo

Interior offensive line coach James Patton
Patton did an outstanding job with his centers and guards in 2012, especially when veteran starter Ben Habern broke his arm early in the season. Guard Gabe Ikard, who made the All-Big 12 first team, slid over to center and performed well, giving freshman Adam Shead a chance to showcase his skills at left guard. Shead was a big reason for the success of the "Belldozer" package as he was an outstanding puller. Patton has four capable players for three positions in 2012 as Habern, Ikard, Shead and starting right guard Tyler Evans return.
- Dane Beavers

What do you think? What was the Sooners' assistant coach of the season?

ESPN.com college basketball writer Jason King unveiled his latest Big 12 rankings Monday and ranked the Sooners fifth out of 10 teams. Here's what he wrote on Oklahoma:

Lon Kruger’s team pulled a mild upset Saturday when it defeated Kansas State 82-73 in Norman. The Sooners dominated the game from start to finish. Oklahoma is just 1-3 in the Big 12, but its next two games are against bottom-tier teams Texas Tech (at home on Tuesday) and Texas A&M (Saturday in College Station).

Joe Lunardi also revealed the latest edition of his projected NCAA tournament bracket on Monday, and he does not include the Sooners. Do you think OU will make the NCAA tournament? Can the Sooners beat Texas Tech and Texas A&M this week to get back to even in the conference?

As National Signing Day approaches on Feb. 1, Brandon Chatmon is breaking down every commitment and signee in the Sooners' 2012 recruiting class. View all of our profiles here.

Name: Laith Harlow

Position: Tight End

Height, Weight: 6-foot-3, 235 pounds

Hometown/School: Tallahassee, Fla./Godby

Committed: May 31, 2011

Scout grade: 78. Three star prospect.

Scout rankings: No. 25 tight end, No. 277 in Southeast Region, No. 93 in Florida

Picked OU over: Alabama, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Arkansas, Miami (Fla.), UCLA and others

State of the position: The tight end spot is wide open with the departure of seniors James Hanna and Trent Ratterree. The Sooners like to use two tight ends often and Harlow will join Taylor McNamara and Brannon Green at the position. The only thing between those three players and seeing the field immediately is themselves.

Pros: “Harlow comes across as a fiery kid who enjoys playing the game and is going to give maximum effort. He has good size for a tight end and looks to have the frame to be able to pack on some more good weight as he physically matures.” - ESPN analyst

Cons: “He is best suited as a short range and potentially intermediate target. He needs to develop as a blocker but as he does he can be a solid productive in-line tight end.” - ESPN analyst

Similar to/potential role: Trent Ratterree. If he gets healthy, Harlow, who is overcoming a back injury, could develop into a pass catching version of Ratterree. He’s not the blocker that Ratterree is but should develop that part of his game and be a solid option in the middle of the field in time.

Expected impact: 2013. Getting healthy is Harlow’s No. 1 priority. Even though tight end is a major need, don’t be surprised if OU tells Harlow to get his body right first with a redshirt season. Once healthy, Harlow could be a valuable redzone and short yardage receiving threat with his hands and size.

BETHANY, Okla. -- After flying back from Clemson, S.C., on Sunday night Brent Venables denied a report that he has accepted a job with the Tigers.

Beyond that, the Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator didn’t offer much.

Venables declined to comment about his trip to Clemson, whether he had been offered the defensive coordinator job there, or what his timetable was for making a decision.

Earlier Sunday, an independent Clemson fan site cited unnamed sources indicating that Venables had accepted the job and an announcement would be forthcoming this week.

The Tulsa World, however, reported that Clemson coach Dabo Swinney wants to interview former Miami Hurricanes head coach Randy Shannon before making a final decision.

Venables actually interviewed for the head job at Clemson in 2008 before the Tigers eventually settled on Swinney.

Venables has been with the Sooners since Bob Stoops was hired in 1999 and took over defensive coordinator in 2004 after Mike Stoops was hired by Arizona.

But since the Sooners brought Mike Stoops back to help run the defense, Venables has been entertaining offers from other schools, reportedly also talking with West Virginia about the defensive coordinator job there.

Before the Clemson visit, Venables actually went on a recruiting trip with Mike Stoops to Florida, then came back to Norman and flew to South Carolina.

Clemson is expected to offer a competitive salary to Venables, who made $440,000 plus incentive bonuses last season. It’s unclear how high the Tigers will go, but first-year offensive coordinator Chad Morris got a huge raise this season, going from a salary of $450,000 to $1.3 million.

As National Signing Day approaches on Feb. 1, Brandon Chatmon is breaking down every commitment and signee in the Sooners' 2012 recruiting class. View all of our profiles here.

Name: Charles Tapper

Position: Defensive end

Height, Weight: 6-foot-3, 235 pounds

Hometown/School: Baltimore/City College High School

Committed: July 23, 2011

Scout grade: 78. Three star prospect.

Scout rankings: No. 73 defensive end, No. 466 in Southeast Region, No. 13 in Maryland

Picked OU over: Rutgers, San Diego State, Penn State, Miami (Fla.), West Virginia

State of the position: Despite losing starters Ronnell Lewis and Frank Alexander, the Sooners are in pretty good shape with R.J. Washington and David King returning. Washington looked great in the Insight Bowl and could be poised for a breakout senior season. The opportunity to earn a spot in OU’s four-man rotation is there for the taking.

Pros: “Has ideal height and size, particularly in his lower half, with room to add bulk. Possesses long arms and strong hands. Shows good speed but does not have elite closing burst. Exhibits good up-field edge speed. As a pass rusher, can collapse pocket with good edge speed.” - ESPN analyst

Cons: “Uses active hands, working the outside shoulder of the OT but we would like to see more separation. Will need to gain a wider arsenal of ways to beat blockers and become more sound in his movements.” - ESPN analyst

Similar to/potential role: Ronnell Lewis. Tapper was recruited to fill Lewis’ role in the Sooners defense and has great athleticism for a player his size. He could become a athletic defensive end similar to Lewis.

Expected impact: 2013. A basketball player by trade, Tapper will probably need a redshirt season to get used to college football and even longer to get comfortable with his technique at defensive end. He’ll probably make a special teams impact and see spot duty on defense in 2013.

Days before Oklahoma faced Kansas State with the Sooners looking to win their first Big 12 Conference game, guard Carl Blair didn’t mince words.

“I think people feel like they can come in here and it’s going to be easy for them,” Blair said. “Next game we have to make a statement.”

Statement made.

The Sooners defeated No. 18-ranked KSU, 82-73, at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday afternoon, improving to 11-5 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12.

For the first time since conference play began on Jan. 3, the Sooners looked like the squad that went 10-2 in non conference play. The Sooners shot 54.9 percent (28 of 51 from the field) for the game and 70 percent (14 of 20 from the field) in the second half.

OU had 12 steals and 30 points off turnovers as its defense was much more active than it was in conference losses to Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma State.

(Read full post)

As National Signing Day approaches on Feb. 1, Brandon Chatmon is breaking down every commitment and signee in the Sooners' 2012 recruiting class. View all of our profiles here.

Name: Eric Striker

Position: Safety/Linebacker

Height, Weight: 6-foot, 190 pounds

Hometown/School: Seffner, Fla./Armwood

Committed: June 4, 2011

Scout grade: 76. Three star prospect.

Scout rankings: No. 59 safety, No. 466 in Southeast Region, No. 203 in Florida

Picked OU over: Tennessee, South Florida, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Iowa, Vanderbilt,

State of the position: Safety is a need position for OU. Aaron Colvin is one of the best players on the Sooners defense but additional help is needed alongside Colvin. Tony Jefferson can play the safety spot at a high level but he also excels near the line of scrimmage, making it tough to slot him in at deep safety and leave him there. Plenty of playing time is available, particularly if Jefferson moves up to the hybrid linebacker/safety spot.

Pros: “Striker is basically an undersized linebacker in an attack 4-4 scheme. Has limited experience as a true back-end safety and high-point defender but has plenty of eye-popping production in the box. Will likely get recruited to play a hybrid safety position; ideally a Bandit or Rover role.” - ESPN analyst

Cons: “He does tend to pursue high and does not consistently use his hands when shedding; tries to overpower more with his shoulder. Displays a bit of stiffness breaking down in space but is a strong tackler and still makes a lot of solo stops.” - ESPN analyst

Similar to/potential role: Corey Nelson. While he is being recruited as a safety, Striker excels near the box and is a good pass rusher. It would be a waste to leave him at deep safety in OU’s attacking defense.

Expected impact: 2013. Striker could come in and provide help immediately on special teams but ideally he would redshirt. OU has several players (Jefferson, Nelson) who excel with similar skill sets so sitting Striker out 2012 would be ideal for the program.

The SoonerNation staff is wrapping up Oklahoma's 10-3 season by answering 10 questions, just like we did during the Sooners' bye week in November. Today:

Who is the Sooners' most improved player of the season?

DE R.J. Washington
This could have gone to wideout Jaz Reynolds, but he flamed out late in the year. Linebacker Tom Wort was improved, but still too inconsistent. So I’ll go with Washington. Before the season, Washington seemed destined to finish the rest of his career on the sideline. Instead, he became a solid backup to Ronnell Lewis and Frank Alexander, then exploded for two sacks in the Insight Bowl facing off against future NFL first round tackle Riley Reiff. With Alexander and Lewis both gone, OU will be counting on Washington to be its No. 1 pass rusher next season.
- Jake Trotter

S Aaron Colvin
Colvin went from impact freshman at cornerback to a core member of the defense at safety. One of the most consistent defenders, Colvin is good in coverage, a solid tackler and always around the football and proved to be durable. Imagine the Sooners secondary without No. 14 this season.
- Brandon Chatmon

NB Tony Jefferson
It wasn’t a season without a bump or two for Jefferson, but when healthy, he showed exactly what he can do. He had four interceptions in two games (three against Ball State, one against Texas). During the second half of the season he wasn’t 100 percent, but he was back to his old self in the bowl game. He had seven tackles and had that explosiveness again. Playing at his natural safety spot, 2012 should be a breakout season for the California native.
- Bob Przybylo

DE R.J. Washington
In his fourth year on campus, the No. 11 overall player in the 2008 ESPNU 150 finally found his way onto the field. And he made an impact in spot duty, too, with 5 sacks, including 2 in the Sooners' Insight Bowl win over Iowa. Washington told our Brandon Chatmon in October that coach Bobby Jack Wright helped him change his practice habits, which led to a breakout season. And his bowl performance makes him the favorite to start at defensive end in 2012.
- Dane Beavers

It’s official. Mike Stoops is coming back to Norman.

Oklahoma announced the hiring in a release Friday. Stoops will serve as co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach along with Brent Venables. OU also announced that secondary coach Willie Martinez has resigned.

“Mike and Brent were out the door recruiting together within two hours of Mike’s hiring so we’re off to a good start,” coach Bob Stoops said in a statement. “Mike and Brent have a long history and comfort level working together, and have together led some great defenses.”

Clemson reportedly has made a push to hire Venables to be its defensive coordinator. The Tigers fired defensive coordinator Kevin Steele this week.

OU hasn’t announced yet whether Venables or Mike Stoops will call the plays.

If Venables stays, he and Mike Stoops will be co-coordinators for the second time in their careers. The two coordinated the OU defense from 1999-03 until Stoops took the head job at Arizona. Mike Stoops was fired from that job after the Wildcats got off to a 1-5 start this season.

“We feel very fortunate to have Mike on our staff. Over the past few months, because of the reputation he has built among his peers, he was a highly sought-after coach,” Bob Stoops said. “People across the country recognize his tremendous knowledge of the game and great energy. He will have a very positive impact on our program.”

Bob Stoops said that Martinez will pursue “attractive options” at other schools.

“I appreciate all of Willie’s work here,” Bob Stoops said. “He represented our program in the right way and will continue to do well in our profession.”