Alex Grinch Says 'There's a Little Bit of a Cloud Over Everything' as Season Approaches

The Sooners' 2020 football season begins Sept. 12 against Missouri State, and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone as excited to get back on the gridiron as Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

After months and months of Zoom calls, virtual recruiting, and digital meeting rooms, Grinch isn't taking for granted the opportunity to get back on the field.

“There is a reason why [I] chose to be a football coach," he said in a Wednesday conference call with media. "There’s also a reason why these guys chose to be football players. Time away kind of gives you an opportunity to really realize how much you miss it and how much you enjoy it. … But certainly, there’s a little bit of a cloud over everything.”

Though the Big 12's 2020 football season is currently set to proceed as scheduled, everyone within the program knows that those plans could change at a moment's notice. But according to Grinch, the Sooners have shown tremendous resolve in dissociating those concerns from their daily preparation.

“Are there some tough days? Certainly there are for these guys, as you can imagine," Grinch said. "I think in light of that, I’ve been very impressed with our guys’ ability to put thoughts, opinions, feelings in the back of their minds when it comes to their performance in this building. I don’t see a group that’s allowing the outside noise to affect their work on a day-to-day basis.”

And it isn't just the noise that's increasing the burden on the Sooners. Injuries have already ravaged Grinch's unit, as DB Justin Harrington and DT Marcus Hicks will both miss extended time. So too will fifth-year senior LB Caleb Kelly, who entered 2020 with high hopes of becoming the Sooners' heart and soul on defense. Kelly's season is in doubt after he suffered a significant knee injury earlier this month. However, Grinch says that his faith in the gritty California native hasn't wavered.

“If anyone was going to have to deal with it, [it's ideally] someone with the mental fortitude that he has," said Grinch. "Full respect from this coaching staff and these players. You just know he’s going to attack it and he’s going to be back better than ever.”

And fortunately, dealing with attrition is nothing new to Grinch and the Sooners.

“When you think back to last year, we had five ACL's on defense," Grinch recalled. "Obviously, you don’t sit out there and wallow in grief… ultimately, the world doesn’t care what you’re lacking. You don’t have time to worry too much about it, but looking back on it, our depth chart has not lasted a day in two seasons here at Oklahoma.”

Nevertheless, Grinch is thankful to be back on the football field with his players, and the routine inconveniences of the season are a welcome change from the inconveniences of virtual coaching.

“I’ve yelled at computer screens more than I ever have,” Grinch said. “But one of the things we say about adversity is you don’t get to choose what it is, and you don’t get to choose how long it sticks around.”

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