Brent Venables Clarifies Oklahoma’s DB Depth Chart: ‘We Just Look for Football Players’

NORMAN — With the discharge of Oklahoma’s depth chart this week forward of Saturday’s season opener in opposition to UTEP, numerous questions got here up — and never just some in regards to the defensive backs.

So Brent Venables stepped to the rostrum Tuesday for his first weekly press convention because the Sooners’ head coach and answered what questions he may.

The teaching employees had some arduous choices to make.

“Yeah, that is our job as coaches,” Venables stated, “to attempt to establish inside our scheme (and) discover what a participant can do what he can’t do to place him in place to achieve success.”

To some, Jaden Davis being listed as a starter is a shock, but it surely shouldn’t be. He had a ok camp every of the final two seasons to start out season openers in opposition to Missouri State (2020) and Western Carolina (2021), and ended up with six begins every of the final two years.

Venables stated Davis confirmed extra consistency this preseason than the competitors.

“He’s actually constant,” Venables stated. “You recognize, he is enjoying confidently, tackles effectively, and has been certainly one of our most constant gamers by means of fall camp.”

Nonetheless, it was extensively presumed that junior D.J. Graham, who began 10 video games final season after Woodi Washington acquired damage, would win the job reverse Washington this yr. That duo began the three video games of the season collectively and had been the Sooners’ greatest pairing.

Two newcomers who purportedly had a superb coaching camp and had been presumed to be at or close to the highest of the depth chart at their respective positions discover themselves with a little bit of a climb to search out enjoying time.

C.J. Coldon (Wyoming) is listed co-third at one nook behind Davis and Kendall Dennis and even with Joshua Eaton, and Kani Walker (Louisville) is listed third on the different nook behind Washington and Graham.

At security, the starters had been anticipated to be Billy Bowman and Key Lawrence, and each are listed first, though Lawrence is listed as a co-starter with sixth-year senior Justin Broiles, who began beforehand at security and nickel.

Additionally at security, North Carolina switch Trey Morrison and true freshman Robert Spears-Jennings are listed as co-starters together with sophomore Damond Harmon, who’s listed at each security spots.

Broiles has moved round, Dennis has moved round, Bowman has moved round, and Morrison has moved round. There’s some versatility at play there, however there’s additionally placing gamers the place they greatest match — and possibly protecting them out of spots the place they don’t.

“I’ve by no means been afraid of projecting a man on a brand new spot,” Venables stated. “You bought to attempt to make the most of your greatest soccer gamers and see if it is a pure match.

“A few of the issues from once we first acquired right here within the spring to the place we’re at proper now, you have sort of found once more. As soon as we had the litmus take a look at of precise enjoying and competing day in and day trip, after which actually defining the strengths and the weaknesses of the completely different gamers, looking for a option to sort of combine all of it collectively.”

Venables has most popular the break up up his cornerback duties prior to now between boundary (brief aspect of the sphere, the place greater, extra bodily gamers reside) and subject (broad aspect, with smaller, faster gamers) relying on the place the ball is positioned among the many hashmarks. However extra lately, Venables’ desire has leaned towards using a left nook and a proper nook. That’s what he’ll persist with at OU this yr, he stated.

“We simply search for soccer gamers,” Venables stated. “ … I believe before everything, you bought to search for left and proper. Your guys can play both aspect, you understand, in each the sphere and the boundary, in order that that may be ideally suited. In order that you do not, you understand — no pun supposed — however you do not nook a man into doing simply sure issues. If they’ll do what each the sphere and the boundary do, that is what you’ll ideally like and so we have crossed-trained all of them to do this.”