NORMAN – With preseason training camp behind us in Oklahoma, the administration is taking stock of what real improvements have been made on the special teams team in 2024.
Finally, head coach Brent Venables has often spoken about the need to be more efficient in close games, away games and in certain situations on the field.
And nowhere can OU be more effective than on special teams.
According to ESPN’s 2023 overall efficiency rankings, Oklahoma’s special teams (placekicking, punting, punt return, kickoff coverage, kickoff return) ranked 127th in the nation last year.
The Sooners are better this year in one important area: coaching.
This isn’t meant as an attack on former special teams analyst Jay Nunez. It’s just that after a significant adjustment to NCAA rules, analysts can now actually coach players – both on the practice field and on game days.
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Nunez brought many good ideas and occasional daring to the Sooners’ special teams during Venables’ first two seasons, but before that, the analyst’s role was limited to meeting with the coaching staff, going over lineups, assignments and personnel, monitoring practice efforts and then implementing a game plan.
Under the new rules, new recruit Doug Deakin – Nunez moved to Alabama – is actually allowed to train the players.
“That part has changed a lot,” Venables said after training on Tuesday night. “So the depth of the support staff, the ability to coach – and we have guys who have either been coaches before and couldn’t do that, or former players who can really add a lot to individualization, basically be more specific, technique, have a little bit more eyes on the field and be able to correct and coach.”
“The same rules apply to everyone, so everyone should benefit from them.”
However, not all areas require massive improvements, as in Oklahoma.
Here, Deakin brought his experience as a special teams coach at San Diego State, where the Aztecs were regularly among the most efficient special teams in the country.
“Doug is incredibly passionate, full of energy, really smart, a great teacher, inspires and motivates like no other coach I know,” Venables said. “The players have enormous respect for him and he’s just a really effective communicator, so I expect us to improve on what we’ve achieved so far.”
In 2023, every SEC team except Vanderbilt kicked the football better than Oklahoma.
Venables indicated Tuesday that incumbent kicker Zach Schmit and transfer Tyler Keltner have been the most consistent in camp. Deakin has given freshman Liam Evans and senior Josh Plaster a chance, but as the season opener with Temple on Aug. 30 approaches, it’s important to have someone provide distance — and if it’s two, the competition will be on.
“It will take until the end of this week and then we will make a decision,” Venables said. “I really feel like we may need both guys this season.”
He also said returning starter and senior Luke Elzinga has “done a great job as a punter” after averaging a personal best of 45.1 yards per kick last year, but also said sophomore Ashton Logan has had a good camp.
One area where the Sooners should be better is kickoffs and punt returns. There is game-winning talent there, but Jalil Farooq only managed 22.2 yards on kickoffs and Gavin Freeman only managed 6.8 yards on punts. Freeman lost two fumbles and Farooq lost one.
Job one is to catch the football. Job two is not to fumble it. Job three is to make something happen. Oklahoma was not good in any of those situations in 2023.
Deakin’s coaching should cover some of that as he and Venables go through candidates like Farooq, Peyton Bowen, Billy Bowman and Brenen Thompson. Venables also said that two guys who should start at running backs – Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes – have already seen playing time.
““These are the people who have been responsible for some of the returns,” he said.
The talent is there. Now all that’s missing is coaching.
“I think when you talk about a coordinator,” Venables said, “you want someone who has expertise and a clear vision of what it should look like. If he can be part of that development on the field and off the field, you have a chance to really make progress in the areas that need to be made. But that’s been a lot of fun.”
