One of Brandon Hall’s goals this season is to enhance the abilities of Oklahoma’s more experienced players who were forced to adapt to a new coaching staff and playbook this spring.
The Sooners’ safeties coach, who served as Troy’s defensive coordinator from 2019-21, likened them to rubber bands — if they can’t be stretched, they’re useless.
“These guys are out there every day and our job as coaches is to stretch them,” Hall said on Monday. “To make them go farther than they've ever gone, to be put in a position so that when they walk out into that stadium against UTEP, or at the Cotton Bowl, whoever it is, that they've already experienced the most difficult mental aspects of a football game that they can experience.”
Returning players Hall expects to have a big impact at the safety position include sophomore Billy Bowman and junior Key Lawrence. Bowman, Hall said, will exclusively play safety at the request of head coach Brent Venables. Hall also mentioned that Bowman could be one of OU’s better players on defense.
Lawrence is one of the Sooners’ most experienced players in general, but hasn’t played a ton of consistent snaps at the safety position. The Nashville native appeared in every game last season but split time between safety and cornerback as an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2021.
“(Lawrence) is doing better, he's getting there so to speak,” Hall said. “I think he's a lot like Billy, there's a lot of learning to do from not only a call perspective, but also from a football perspective. Anytime you learn a new position, you're not only learning a defense, you're learning how to understand the types of plays that you're going to get on that side of the football field.
“We’ve got a bunch of rubber bands and they need to be stretched. So that's been the main key. Like I said, we're putting something on them and that's okay. That's part of the growing part of it, but at the end of the day, when we come out the other side of it we’ll be a much more mentally tough football team, (we’ll have a) tougher defense because of that.”
Junior outside linebacker and defensive end Marcus Stripling celebrates after making a tackle during the Valero Alamo Bowl against No. 14 Oregon at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 29.
Stripling appreciates new culture, learning from Lofton
Marcus Stripling feels like Oklahoma football is going back to its roots.
The senior defensive end said Monday the team is focused on being more physical on both sides of the ball, with a specific emphasis on attacking and being aggressive on defense. But, Stripling said the biggest adjustment has been the development of a new culture, along with the difference in the team’s new atmosphere in the locker room, calling what the program is going through this spring as a “new wave.”
Stripling appeared in 11 games during the regular season in 2021 before making his first start vs. Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. The Houston native registered four total tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss in the win, and is looking to build on his strong finish to last season.
“I’ve honestly been taking it day by day, getting better everyday,” Stripling said. “I know what I can do so I’ve just been trying to improve my game and attack my weaknesses so when the season comes I’ll be ready for everything.”
One of the ways Venables and company are changing the culture in Norman is through the team's newly implemented S.O.U.L. Mission, which stands for “Serving Our Uncommon Legacy.” One of the three directors of the new program is former standout Sooners linebacker Curtis Lofton, who Stripling has found a mentor in this spring.
“I connected with (Lofton) instantly,” Stripling said. “As soon as he got here, he taught me a lot of things and we’ve never had anything like (the S.O.U.L mission). We’ve been growing and developing off the field … so it's amazing. And it's just amazing to be in that position to grow something besides football with my teammates and my brothers.
“I just feel like we are getting back to the roots of OU and what really started OU football, and how (this program) used to play. It’s positive.”
Senior cornerback Jaden Davis during Sooners practice on March 28.
Davis feeling confident after tough junior year
Jaden Davis is feeling confident about his play after a few weeks of spring practice. The senior cornerback is excited about being coached by a defensive-minded staff led by Venables. Davis noted Valai, his new cornerbacks coach, is the smartest football guru he has ever been around.
“He's very detailed and he's very into talking about being intentional,” Davis said of Valai. “Being intentional in everything you do, being intentional in the way you walk, the way you line up, the way you just play ball. So I feel like I'm taking major steps in my game and as a team, I feel like we're taking major steps every day.”
Davis appeared in all 13 games last season with six starts and finished with 25 tackles and two pass breakups. Davis considers himself his biggest detractor and in his mind, he has a lot to improve on from last season.
After missing a tackle against Texas sophomore receiver Xavier Worthy which led to a 75-yard touchdown at the Cotton Bowl, Davis was criticized at large by fans on social media.
“Not good enough, I’m my hardest critic,” Davis said. “I read a lot of stuff and it's hard to shut everything completely out, but everything that anybody has said about me, I’ve probably said something ten times worse about myself in my head. So that type of stuff doesn’t really bother me as much, but I'm really hard on myself, like really, really hard.
“It's just constant improvement. When you have a mindset that is about constant improvement, and you need to improve no matter if you have a great game, or poor game, great season, or not great season. You’ll see when you step back. You'll realize ‘I'm really growing as a player, I'm growing as a person individually.’”
