To Brent Venables, Oklahoma CB Joshua Eaton is Now ‘Serious About His Future’

The overall consensus on Oklahoma’s cornerback image has been that OU has two skilled, dynamic, dependable playmakers in Woodi Washington and D.J. Graham, and anybody else is a backup.

However to listen to Brent Venables inform it, there could also be an sudden candidate on the place who asserts himself for enjoying time in 2022.

“I like a man like Josh Eaton,” Venables mentioned.

The Sooners’ first-year head coach expressed his appreciation for the Sooners’ junior cornerback throughout a press convention final week at Large 12 Media Days in Arlington, TX.

The question was in regards to the nook group normally and the luxurious of getting two guys again who Venables is aware of he can belief on the place.

However Venables fortunately provided up an exploration of Eaton’s journey to this point in Norman.

“If you happen to mentioned, ‘OK, what was my 10,000-foot view of Josh?’ — and I’ve shared this with him and his household: like, he was simply too foolish,” Venables mentioned. “He wasn’t critical about his future. You realize, nice child. You realize, enjoyable to be round. However wasn’t targeted and critical about being nice. And he’ll be the primary one to let you know that.”

The 6-foot-1, 182-pound Eaton got here to OU as a consensus 4-star recruit out of Aldine MacArthur Excessive College in Houston. ESPN ranked him because the No. 25 cornerback within the 2020 class, whereas Rivals had him No. 3 and 247 Sports activities ranked him thirty third. When Eaton selected the Sooners over Georgia, LSU, Texas and others, OU followers figured he was an on the spot star — and definitely a multi-year starter.

As a substitute, Eaton performed in simply 5 video games as a real freshman after which made it into 10 video games as a sophomore. In two seasons, he has a grand complete of seven tackles and has but to make a play on the soccer.

However Venables and new cornerbacks coach Jay Valai could also be simply what Eaton wanted to ignite his profession.

“Man, I’ve seen this nice development,” Venables mentioned, “and hopefully, , it will come to fruition from getting a possibility to play and contribute. I’ve seen super development, simply in his mindset, in his buy-in — and this results in his work, after which it results in his manufacturing, after which it results in the belief, after which, now subsequent to that, the teammates begin believing him. Now he is strolling round with a bit of edge and a swag.”

Venables and his workers have invested themselves personally within the gamers they solely lately met. Not that the earlier coaches didn’t make investments, however gamers say they’re connecting on a extra private stage now than they did earlier than.

Perhaps somebody who was “foolish” simply wanted somebody to inform him it was OK to be critical.

“You get that confidence from the work that you just put in,” Venables mentioned. “And I don’t need any of our guys strolling round with false bravado. Like, ‘We OU,’ or no matter which means. I do not purchase that. You realize, your confidence and the sting and swag comes from the work that you just put in and the scars that you just obtained.”

Oklahoma’s defensive backs have amassed loads of scars in recent times. Ex-defensive coordinator Alex Grinch used to speak in regards to the scars gamers within the secondary had when he was employed.

Now, although, perhaps these scars are really therapeutic.

“Man, I have been so enthusiastic about that group,” Venables mentioned. “And the depth that we have added. However I am equally enthusiastic about guys which might be right here which might be incomes their means. Like, only a few seeds of perception, man, what that may do to individuals. You may communicate life and loss of life. The facility of the tongue is a really actual factor, and talking positivity and nice outcomes into these guys and serving to create a imaginative and prescient for them is a really actual factor.

“Getting the buy-in and confidence, all these issues, obtained to get them to the appropriate place. We’ve been saying like, ‘The way you suppose, that is going to find out whether or not or not you are going to achieve success.’ So (it’s about) getting our guys assured in themselves, within the scheme, of their fundamentals and their method and their talent, after which after which asking them to do issues that they’ll do effectively.”