One of the most intense battles Oklahoma’s defensive line endured over the offseason was centered around a mini basketball hoop in a pool.
It happened during a cookout at defensive tackles coach Todd Bates’ home, which he hosted with defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis. One of many team-bonding experiences the unit has endured, including watching the horror film “Insidious: The Red Door,” where their fear led to a disturbance in the theater.
“I felt bad for the (other) people in (the theater),” redshirt senior Jonah Laulu said. “Because we had guys screaming (in there).”
Laulu says the newcomers have brought the group closer together. The unit has put an emphasis on camaraderie, while embracing the position battles they’ll face after adding six transfers and five freshmen.
The young defensive lineman knew how close-knit the room would be from the recruiting stage.
Bates introduces recruits to his family as early as he can, to preview the bond they’ll experience on OU’s defensive line. Bates knows he’ll have achieved the right comfort level when they’re willing to sit on his carpet.
“When somebody sits on the carpet, they’ve gotta be comfortable.”
Comfortability also applies to learning the playbook, which Bates, Chavis and defensive coordinator Ted Roof brought with them from Clemson after arriving in Norman last season. OU returns 10 defensive linemen from last year’s unit, leaving over half of the group new to the playbook.
In an effort to familiarize them, Laulu and other returners have held players-only practices and film sessions in addition to working on non-practice days.
“You're only as strong as your weakest link,” Laulu said. “If 10 out of 11 people execute the play, you can still end up (giving up) a touchdown.”
The extra effort has been predominantly led by Laulu, senior Reggie Grimes II and junior Ethan Downs — three of the group’s leaders. Downs is OU’s lone Preseason All-Big 12 honoree after leading the team in tackles for loss (13.5) and tying Grimes for the team-high in sacks (4.5). Downs’ production in 2022 was good, but he knows he’ll need to improve this year for the unit to make strides.
“For us to be at our best, he needs to have a better year,” Chavis said. “He knows that. And he’s excited. He’s a guy that rises to the challenge.”
When Tennessee transfer Da’Jon Terry arrived at OU, the returning defensive linemen didn’t go into specifics of the disappointing 6-7 season in 2022, but the message they delivered to the newcomers was clear:
“We're not gonna feel like that again this year. So everybody come in … ready to work everyday with a hard hat on.”
“We’re Oklahoma. We’re not supposed to be losing games like that.”
The Sooners allowed 30 points per game in 2022, third most in the Big 12. A specific weakness came on third downs, a down they played the eighth most snaps in the country on and allowed a 40.9% conversion rate, seventh in the Big 12.
Bates claims a contributor to OU’s struggles to get off the field on third and fourth down came from a failure to close out plays. He witnessed his guys struggle to fight off blocks or wrap up ball carriers, but not be able to finish the tackle, two main focuses OU will have during its fall camp.
“(We had) a lot of missed production,” Laulu told OU Daily of OU’s defensive struggles. “We left a lot of sacks and (tackles for loss) on the field, so we have to make sure to finish off those plays. … Just watching film, that was probably the biggest thing (I saw). (We need) to make sure we actually finish that play strong in a positive position.”
The improvement not only needs to be drastic, but it needs to come quickly. The Sooners are entering their final season in Big 12 play before moving to the SEC, a conference with no shortage of size, strength or talent in the trenches.
“I think top to bottom this is the best talent you'll see week in and week out from any conference in college football, let alone (on) the offensive and defensive lines,” Kentucky offensive lineman Eli Cox said of the conference at SEC Media Days. “You could go down the list of every SEC team and every one of them probably has an NFL draftable defensive tackle, if not multiple.
“Especially guys on the edge, the pass rushers, the Will Andersons, the Jalen Carters and that's just two guys who were first round picks from the SEC that played defensive line last year.”
Chavis and Bates brought in five freshmen from the class of 2024, including five-star and consensus No. 1 player in Missouri Adepoju “PJ” Adebawore. However, they’re not building the unit for the future, they’re in win-now mode.
All six of the defensive linemen OU added from the transfer portal are redshirt seniors. Rondell Bothroyd transferred from Wake Forest where he leaves behind the seventh most sacks in program history.
Trace Ford is a two-time All-Big 12 honorable mention from OU’s Bedlam rival Oklahoma State. Jacob Lacey recorded two sacks in four games last season with Notre Dame, while Terry and Utah State transfer Phillip Paea bring 10 years of experience as premier run stoppers.
Bates and Chavis have accomplished what OU parades around its program: competitive depth. While they’re satisfied with the experienced players they’ve gotten and the resumes of each, they’ve made it clear that no one has solidified their spot as a starter yet.
“(We) worked really hard to assemble a room that is both highly experienced and competitive,” Chavis said. “The guys know there’s going to be some different lineups going up against ones, twos (and) threes. Play your (assignment). … We gotta get guys thrown in the fire. We gotta see who can play under pressure. And the only way you do that is to put them in there.
“We’re going to mix it up. Ain’t nobody got a job. Ethan Downs was second team All-Big 12 last year, … he's got to go out and prove it. Rondell Bothroyd started at Wake Forest and he's a phenomenal player. And PJ Adebawore was a five star. Yep. Go prove it. The left tackle at Texas doesn't care how many stars you have. You’ve gotta go prove it every day.”
When Chavis approached sophomore R Mason Thomas to ask what he’s accomplished as a player, Thomas’ answer was indicative of the entire defensive line’s mentality:
“Nothing.”
The competition that comes with OU’s depth is a crucial part of Bates’ preparation which is aimed toward playing a 15-game season, consisting of 12 regular season games, the Big 12 Championship and a pair of contests in the College Football Playoff. In order to do so, he wants to have six defensive tackles capable of playing “winning football.”
“Anytime I’ve been a part of a team where we’ve been at our best, that guy who’s running out there first … has to look over his shoulder,” Bates said. “He knows if he slips up, you've got somebody that’s capable to go in there and play at a high level and you’ve got multiple guys that can do it. That’s what I feel like we’re building towards right now.”
Bates and Chavis brought in the guys they needed over the offseason. They’ve flooded the Sooners’ defensive line with experience and matched that with a star freshman. The group they’ve assembled has built a tight bond through pool basketball and horror films, but their competitiveness on the field isn’t lost and will be crucial to improving upon a disappointing 2022 campaign.
“Anytime you introduce anyone, whether it's a transfer or high school player, it changes the dynamic of the room,” Chavis said. “And so it's really cool because I'm trying to get every guy to be great individually, but also to be great as a room. It's fun navigating that. … I don't have a guy in my room right now (who’s) not uber competitive, who doesn't see the challenge and doesn't understand the expectation (and) who hasn't worked really, really hard this offseason since January. So it's fun. And we're excited.”
This story was edited by Colton Sulley and Jason Batacao. Mary Ann Livingood and Nikkie Aisha copy edited this story.
