What OU players said about 1st scrimmage, preseason camp
NORMAN — OU football held its first scrimmage of preseason camp last week.
With 18 days until the Sooners’ first regular season game, the preparation is well underway. New coordinators Zac Alley, Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley are finding their footing, while starting quarterback Jackson Arnold is working to get acclimated with leading the offense.
After speaking with players Saturday night, here’s what we could glean about the closed scrimmage and who’s standing out for the Sooners during camp:
OU offensive line impressing early
Over a week after defensive lineman Damonic Williams warned fans and media members not to doubt OU’s rebuilt offensive line, PJ Adebawore concurred.
The offensive line was the Sooners’ most significant question mark entering camp as it added five transfers. Adebawore, a sophomore defensive lineman who is a contender to breakout this season, hyped up the line after practice Saturday night.
“They’re definitely SEC-ready tackles,” Adebawore, a former fivestar recruit, said. “Legit tackles who give me really good looks. They’re going to have a season.”
Who has been the toughest for Adebawore to go against? Michigan State transfer Spencer Brown and junior Jacob Sexton, who are each seemingly battling for starting tackle spots.
North Texas transfer Febechi Nwaiwu, a likely starter at guard, was mostly tight-lipped about the scrimmage expect saying there were positives and negatives. He did shout out the tackles and admitted he feels the group is on “an upwards slope” and “constantly getting better, constantly fixing these tiny details.”
“There’s always things to improve on,” Nwaiwu said of the line’s performance in the scrimmage. “It’s never going to be good enough. But I think we’re going in the right direction and we have a bright future ahead.
“It was fun to get out there, to get like a game atmosphere, to have bullets flying everywhere and really be able to play full speed without any coaches right on you. It was a really good experience.”
OU players to watch on defense
When asked what player isn’t being talked about enough on defense, Adebawore didn’t hesitate to boast about one of his fellow defensive linemen.
“R. Mason Thomas,” Adebawore said. “I think he’s one to definitely be on the watch list, because he’s going to have a season.”
It seems like Thomas stands out every preseason camp. Arriving on campus as a 17-year-old ahead of the 2022 season, he caught players’ attention with his freakish athleticism. That season he played in 10 games and recorded seven tackles, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry, but missed three games due to injury.
In 2023, he played in nine games in a rotational role at defensive end, missing four contests to injury, and totaling nine tackles, 21⁄2 tackles for loss, one sack, two hurries and a pass breakup. Will this finally be the season Thomas stays healthy and breaks out?
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Kip Lewis made a name for himself last season and is expected to rule the middle of the field on defense alongside All-American Danny Stutsman. He said Saturday the linebackers have been rotating between middle linebacker and weak side linebacker and he isn’t sure who will play which spot yet.
Along with Stutsman, Lewis said other experienced players like junior Jaren Kanak and Kobe McKinzie have stepped up as leaders and have been coaching players through mistakes.
“I’ve seen a lot of development from Lewis Carter,” Lewis added. “He’s my guy. Anything I know, I try to pour it into him. I just wanna see Lewis be great as I know he can be.”
Zac Alley: ‘A great communicator’
Lewis said Alley has helped players simplify things more on the field and in the film room.
He calls him a “mini (Brent Venables).”
“(Watching film after the scrimmage was) good,” Lewis said. “We’re just going over mistakes and going over what we did really and just gotta keep going in and getting better. He was under (Venables) for a while, so he kind of sounds like him sometimes, and so we’re already accustomed to it so we’re able to fire right back at him.”
Alley matched Venables’ intensity during the portion of practice open to the media last Monday, but took time in between each drill to speak with players individually. Stutsman said in the spring Alley is calmer than Venables and that he’s been an effective teacher.
“He’s a great communicator,” Adebawore said. “I think he’s really good at explaining, and I think he’s really good at setting guys up for success.”
Extra points
h Williams, the TCU transfer defensive lineman, has looked the part. Adebawore on what stands out about him: “Physicality. Big, strong, smart. Can move. He’s the whole package.”
h New special teams analyst Doug Deakin has quickly gained respect from the players. “He’s a great teacher,” head coach Brent Venables said. “He teaches the staff well. He’s incredibly passionate about doing what he does. His ability to inspire, motivate and challenge is very natural for us in this space.” Running back Jovantae Barnes said last week he speaks with Deakin every day and even went into his office to express his desire to be involved on special teams. “I just love his energy,” Barnes said. “I love what he brings to the team. He’s been making an impact already.”