A year ago, Oklahoma’s former special teams analyst Jay Nunez was banished to the press box on game days.
Forced to watch the games from an overhead perch, Nunez, who left to become Alabama's special teams coordinator, could not be on the field due to the previous NCAA rule that only allowed 11 coaches — one head coach and 10 assistants — were allowed on the field at all times.
Now, for analysts in college football, everything has changed.
“The depth of your support staff and the ability to coach (has changed a lot),” OU head coach Brent Venables said after practice on Tuesday. “We had guys who had either been coaches before and weren’t able to, or they had been former players that could really bring a lot to really individualize and be more specific fundamentally.”
The NCAA passed a rule on June 26 eliminating restrictions around the number of staff members that could provide instructions to players during practices and games, but still capped off the number of people that focus on off-campus recruiting to 11.
For new OU special teams analyst Doug Deakin, who had spent 17 years as a player and staff member at San Diego State before arriving in Norman in February, game days have completely changed. The role he was allowed to play eight weeks ago, is now obsolete as the Sooners are 10 days out from kicking off the 2024 season against Temple.
The restrictions that once limited him to the film room and the practice field have been diminished, and Deakin will no longer have to go through a middleman to provide insight to players during the game.
“It is nice,” Venables said about having an analyst who can coach. “Doug’s incredibly passionate, high-energy, really smart and a great teacher. He inspires and motivates as good as any coach I have been around. The players have tremendous respect for him, and he is just a really effective communicator.”
Last season, Oklahoma struggled with all facets of special teams, with kicker Zach Schmit making 71.4% (15 of 21) of his field goal attempts, compared to OU’s opponents who made 77.8%. In the kick return game, the Sooners averaged 21 yards per return on 21 attempts, ranking 50th nationally in 2023.
Heading into the Southeastern Conference, OU’s special teams need to improve, and Venables confirmed placekicker and punter battles are still ongoing and will continue to go through the end of this week.
Players like Schmit, redshirt senior kicker Tyler Keltner, freshman kicker Liam Evans, redshirt fifth-year punter Luke Elzinga and redshirt sophomore punter Ashton Logan have all stood out during fall camp, but Venables has been impressed with the entire special teams unit as a whole during the offseason.
The head coach also noted that wide receivers Brenen Thompson and Jalil Farooq, defensive backs Peyton Bowen and Billy Bowman, and running backs Gavin Sawchuk, Sam Franklin and Jovantae Barnes have all been getting reps in the return game during practice.
“I really like the length, the speed, the athleticism and the playmaking that we have in special teams,” Venables said. “We have a nice blend of offensive and defensive guys, and a hungry ground of guys that recognize this can be an opportunity for them to be one of the 74.”
With Oklahoma’s first four games against Temple, Houston, Tulane and the University of Tennessee all being played at home, the Sooners 120-man roster will be able to suit up. However, players must prove who should be making the trips to the road games against the University of Auburn, University of Mississippi, University of Missouri and Louisiana State University and its one neutral game against the University of Texas.
“We challenge our guys not to be comfortable thinking about our first games at home,” Venables said. “How I look at it is, who is going to realistically get on that bus for game five? So, that is a really exciting part about what is in front of us right now.”
Not only are players looking for where they fit on the traveling roster this season, but with the NCAA’s rule adjustment, analysts and other staff members are finding where they fit in their new on-field roles.
However, Venables is optimistic ahead of the first game of the season.
“They can be a little bit more on the field,” Venables said. “They can have eyes and make corrections and do more coaching. I think when you talk about a coordinator, it's somebody who has expertise and a vision for what he wants everything to look like.
“When he can be a part of that development on the field as well as off the field, it gives you the chance to really make some improvement in the areas that you need to.”
This story was edited by Daniel Homrok.
