Gracen Halton has spent his time at Oklahoma gearing up for the Southeastern Conference.
Halton’s first two years at OU have been about development and patience. After being stacked in the defensive line depth chart, Halton is in a position to get more snaps in his junior season.
In the era of the transfer portal, Halton decided to stay in Norman and attempt to prove why he should be getting consistent snaps. Halton has registered 21 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in his college career.
“I’ve been thinking about (the SEC) every day,” Halton told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s the number one conference, so (we’re) ready to attack it.”
Although defensive linemen have transferred in and out of Norman over the past couple seasons, Halton has been a mainstay. Over time, he has been slowly developing under Brent Venables and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates.
“I really like the improvement of Gracen Halton,” Venables told reporters on Aug. 13. “Between Gracen and DJ (Terry) and some of our guys from a year ago that were not in the mix, I feel really good about where we’re at.”
Behind Halton, freshmen defensive tackles David Stone and Jayden Jackson have created a buzz in the offseason.
“They want to be on the field,” Halton said about Stone and Jackson. “They’re pushing the older guys because you wouldn’t want to see a young guy in your spot. They’re pushing the older guys to be better.”
After picking up former TCU defensive tackle Damonic Williams in the portal in the offseason, the defensive line seems competitive heading into its inaugural season in the SEC.
Halton’s relationship with Williams dates back to when they were in high school and attended an Under Armour camp. Williams could potentially anchor the defensive line in 2024, and Halton feels Williams is built for the task.
“He’s done a great job since he first stepped on campus,” Halton said. “He was already bought into the playbook, knowing what to do. He’s just stacking days and getting better.”
With six of the preseason top 15 teams set to face the Sooners in 2024, the defensive line will have to excel if OU wants a shot of making the inaugural 12-team playoff.
“We really have the whole team bought in,” Halton said. “As long as we stay locked in, there will be no problems.”
