How Oklahoma Coaches Are Sifting Through All the Depth at Safety

NORMAN — For three years, the Oklahoma defense had Pat Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell and no one else that former coordinator Alex Grinch trusted to play safety.

Now the Sooners believe they have more good players there than they know what to do with.

“They’re ahead of where we were last year,” said defensive coordinator Ted Roof. “Again, it’s a long way to go. But we’re pleased.”

Roof and safeties coach Brandon Hall have so many qualified candidates for playing time that some are even trying their hand at another position: cheetah linebacker.

Of course, for a defensive back, playing cheetah is little more than playing nickel safety. Depending on the needs of the defense — or the formations and tendencies of the opposing offense — there may be times that a safety is spun down toward the line of scrimmage to play the old strong side linebacker hybrid.

As the position relates to linebacker, versatile Indiana transfer Dasan McCullough and converted defensive back Justin Harrington are the leaders to play cheetah. But Texas Tech transfer Reggie Pearson and 5-star freshman Peyton Bowen are among the safeties who have gotten a long look there in training camp.

Bowen said it’s been a lot to add to his plate.

“I’d say the (versatility) of it,” Bowen said. “The versatileness. You can be in the post someplace or you can be down man on No. 2 or you can be blitz off the edge. I think that's like probably the hardest part is that they have a lot more diversity.”

Bowen said he enjoys the multitool role and actually learned it in high school.

“I’d say Coach (Reed) Heim's defense at Guyer was really good,” Bowen said. “He has a really good mind, setup. I played the man at six yards multiple times so it wasn't really that hard. How our defense works, I practically played cheetah in our base defense, so I mean it's not really too much different. Playing with him and playing 6A football in Texas was great.”

Pearson, a former starter at Wisconsin and Tech, is a good candidate for the complexities of cheetah because he knows his way around a football field.

“He’s a guy that’s got a lot of experience, albeit at a different school,” Roof said. “But a guy that’s very prideful in how he works and how he prepares and how he gets ready to come to the practice field. We’re pleased with Reggie. But again, he’s got things in his game he needs to work on and he’s doing that.”

When Pearson surveys the Sooners’ safety room, he also relishes the versatility, and he embraces he idea of playing cheetah.

“It’s very deep,” Pearson said. “Justin Harrington is actually a linebacker but he’s moved into the safety group as well. He’s our hybrid guy. Me and him pretty much play the same positions, from cheetah to free. We kind of got mixed up with that now.”

So Hall has two talented newcomers — one older and more experienced, one brimming with long-term potential — to go with his two returning starters, Billy Bowman and Key Lawrence. Sophomore Robert Spears-Jennings is a little behind because of a spring shoulder surgery, but he was making huge strides before the injury and could return to the rotation this fall.

Between what Brent Venables wants out of his defense, what Roof needs in a given game or situation, and what Hall thinks each guy is capable of, the coaching staff will need to be on point with mixing and matching at the safety spot this season.

“BV does a good job with just putting people in different spots everywhere and having us all learn different spots,” Pearson said. “So when somebody goes down, somebody is already ready and prepared for that game week. We don’t drop a step or miss a step.”

Bowman is a junior now and last season developed into the Sooners most reliable defensive back. The good news for the OU defense is that he’s only gotten better.

“I think Billy Bowman’s had an outstanding camp so far,” Roof said. “But still got a lot do. But he’s had a great camp so far.”

Lawrence has played safety and corner and has gained a reputation for delivering game-changing plays in key moments. Spears-Jennings flashed several times last year that he’s ready for Saturdays.

Like Roof referenced, Pearson is the elder statesman but is still in a transition phase. He’s naturally one of the leaders in the group, and while he learns the nuances of Venables’ system, he’s also taken the time to pass along his knowledge to the younger generation.

“It’s not easy,” Pearson said. “It’s going to happen. You don’t know everything. It’s going to confuse you a little bit. Things are going to change, especially in the season, how we prepare for other teams. Just giving them a little more grace and helping them understand that it’s going to come with time.”

The coaching staff doesn’t seem worried. There’s still time before Arkansas State comes to town on Sept. 2.

“There’s still a lot of competition going on,” Roof said. “We got a long way to go. But the thing is, we do and we don’t. The first game is gonna be here before we know it. You feel the clock ticking faster and faster right now where we are.”