Alex Grinch on Year 2: 'It's night and day'

In his second year as Oklahoma's defensive coordinator, Grinch is working from a different perspective

John E. Hoover|

Alex Grinch on Year 2: 'It's night and day'

Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch went into this offseason with significantly clearer expectations than he did in Year One.

His knowledge base is infinitely more comprehensive. He knows his players.

And they know him.

“It’s night and day,” Grinch said.

The Sooners improved last year from 114th in the nation in total defense to 38th. Takeaways were problematic, and the season certainly didn’t end on a high note.

The Coronavirus pandemic halted OU’s 2020 spring practice just four days in. Players are on spring break now, the campus is shut down due to a positive test for COVID-19, and all athletic activities are on hold “until further notice,” according to a statement from the university.

But after just one day of spring drills, Grinch found himself coaching from a different perspective this year.

“Guys are running to the football,” he said. “You don’t have to give them constant reminders that way. … Guys understand how to get lined up.

“I don’t wish first years on anybody.”

To get the latest OU posts as they happen, click “Follow” at the top right corner of the page, join the Community and follow SI Sooners on Twitter @All_Sooners.

Published Mar 16, 2020

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

Follow johnehoover