How Oklahoma DE Reggie Grimes Has Embraced Competition This Spring

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s defensive line didn’t quite need name tags this winter, but there were plenty of new faces.

The Sooners attacked the transfer portal hard, especially at defensive end, looking to make quick improvements.

OU coach Brent Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof brought in a pair of experienced edge rushers in former Wake Forest Demon Deacon Rondell Bothroyd and ex-Oklahoma State Cowboy Trace Ford.

Both redshirt seniors, Bothroyd and Ford won’t need too long to get fully up to speed with Oklahoma’s defense.

The additions could have been a red flag to OU’s returning defensive ends, but that’s not how senior Reggie Grimes is looking at his new teammates.

“It’s competition,” Grimes said after practice Monday. “Competition brings out the best in everyone. With that being said, once they announced we got T-Ford and Rondell, awesome, we got vets who have played a lot of ball. Now they’re here and going to push us.

“For a lot of those guys, it’s their last year of eligibility. They’re trying to win. They’re trying to make a splash.”

This spring, the extra competition is needed.

Oklahoma finished as the No. 106-ranked rushing defense in college football last year, giving up 187.5 rushing yards per game.

The sack numbers weren’t as bad, OU got to opposing quarterbacks 28 times which finished tied for 64th in the country, but the Sooners were aided by Venables bringing pressure from all levels of the defense.

All areas of the defense need to be better in 2023, but Venables didn’t shy away from the improvement the Sooners need to make up front.

“The point of attack, we weren’t very good last year,” Venables said last week. “We got bullied around and beat up too much. … We got knocked off the ball. We got run through. We just played bad, bad defense. If we put it on the field, that means we coached it. We’ve got to get better, coaches and players.”

Part of winning at the point of attack will be ensuring the Oklahoma defense doesn’t wear down.

At times last year, there wasn’t much depth behind Grimes and Ethan Downs to create a real rotation in games.

That’ll be an adjustment for the entire defensive end room, but there’s plenty of time for the duo to get acclimated to potentially playing a smaller number of snaps this fall.

Still, coming off the field at times will take some getting used to.

“The competitor in me wants all the reps,” Grimes said. “That might not be realistic — your body may be saying no, but your mind’s saying yes. Sometimes your will has to outdo your soul in that sense. It’s kind of a double-edged answer to that question, because part of you is like, 'Absolutely, we love these guys, we need more guys,' but part of me is like, 'Whatever, I want more reps, we need more reps,' that sort of thing.”

Grimes has the experience, however.

It’ll be both his senior year and his second year in Venables’ defense, so he’s ready to compete for his spot every day throughout the spring and the fall as he hopes to lead his unit to a resurgent season in 2023.

“Iron sharpens iron just as one man sharpens another,” Grimes said. “As far as that is concerned, it’s an amazing competition.

“ … You have a lot of guys with their strengths and weaknesses, that entire thing. They’re playing the game within the game as far as who you’re going against. Matchups are important. The competition is great. I’ve had fun.”

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