'Hungry' CB Courtland Guillory is Chasing Lofty Goals as an Oklahoma Freshman

The Sooners' new defensive back wants to repeat Eli Bowen's breakout 2024 season this fall for Brent Venables.

Oklahoma defensive back Courtland Guillory works through a drill at a fall camp practice. | Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

NORMAN — Freshman cornerback Courtland Guillory is never short on confidence. 

The 6-foot-0, 183-pound newcomer has impressed since he arrived on campus over the winter, and he’s put himself right in the mix for playing time through one week of fall camp. 

With Eli Bowen recovering from a lower-body injury, Kendel Dolby getting slowly eased back into the fray and Gentry Williams hoping to stay healthy to bounce back in 2025, Guillory is taking advantage of an extra helping of snaps. 

“I just got to do what I do. Take it day by day,” Guillory said. “Get better every day. And I know Coach don't care if you're a senior or a freshman. It don't matter. So I'm just trying to prove to everybody that I can play when it's that time.”

In practice, OU coach Brent Venables has continually praised Guillory’s infectious energy. 

“Courtland Guillory, for a young player, he loves to compete,” Venables said. “He's so hungry to learn.”

The buzz around Guillory started during spring practice, but the freshman was actually critical of his showings before the team broke for summer workouts. 

“In high school level, you don't really — (you’re) really just playing man and just dominating the competition,” Guillory said. “But when I got to college, you know, you got to play a lot of zone coverage and a lot of zone schemes. So, working on my zone coverage was my biggest thing. You know, I know I can play man or anybody. Man on man. But zone is more than go into it.”

Oklahoma freshman cornerback Courtland Guillory | Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

Last year while Guillory was holding down one half of the field for Klein Oak High School (Houston, TX), he watched Bowen burst onto the scene ane play at a Freshman All-American level. 

Guillory wants to follow Bowen up with a fantastic debut season of his own. OU cornerbacks coach Jay Valai stayed in close contact with Guillory over the summer to lay out exactly what it would take from the lengthy cornerback to get onto the field this season. 

“He's one of the hardest coaches ever,” Guillory said. “I feel like, you know, he called me and let me know, like, ‘Aye Courtland’… Because he knows my goal… Coach makes it real. He lets everybody know what he did, you know, his process.”

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The returns early in fall camp have impressed Guillory’s Oklahoma teammates. 

“He has great feet. Very physical. Very big. He’s very smart,” defensive back Devon Jordan said. “You always see him up there, asking questions. If you see him in the film room, he’s always just locked in. You can ask him a question, never hesitates. On time. Just like that.”

Guillory’s natural athleticsm, paired with his studies in the film room, have only boosted the confidence which has always come naturally to him. 

“That's just me. I don't know,” he said. “You go watch the film, you look at my tape. I've been like that. It's just the way I am… You got to have some swag, some confidence, you know. You get on that island and you second guessing yourself. Nah, you got to be 100% confident in your technique. Go make a play.”