New Faces Poised to Make an Impact for Oklahoma on Special Teams

NORMAN — Special Teams often aren’t talked about until there’s a major disaster, but they can flip a game in an instant.

Ordinarily, one guy comes in to lock in each position, and is set as the starter for the remainder of their career.

This is certainly the case with OU placekicker Gabe Brkic, who stellar for the Sooners in 2020 knocking through 4-of-6 kicks from 50 yards or more despite missing the first field goal attempts of his career.

But the other kicking position is by no means locked down.

After punter Reeves Mundschau booted the ball for an average of 39.1 yards per kick, good enough for No. 111-overall in the country, the Sooners have brought in not one but two punters from Arizona State via the transfer portal.

Most notably, the Sooners added Arizona State punter Michael Turk, who was No. 2 in the country in average yards per punt, checking in with a booming 47.2 yards per kick.

OU head coach Lincoln Riley said the Sooners were immediately interested in adding Turk to the fold once it became a possibility.

“It was something that came on our radar screen when he decided to transfer,” Riley said during a press conference on Tuesday. “You look at the numbers and pull up the tape immediately, it’s hard not to be impressed.

“Reeves Mundschau has done a tremendous job for us no question, but it was a way for us to create some competition with somebody we thought could come in and upgrade our roster, make us better.”

The circumstances surrounding Turk’s arrival are somewhat unusual, however.

Turk left the Sun Devils due to his decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine, which would have meant he couldn’t travel to road games during the PAC 12 season due to conference health and safety protocols.

But Riley said Turk’s personal stance was not a barrier in Oklahoma adding the former Ray Guy Award semifinalist, and the decision was made even easier due to Riley’s confidence in Mundschau should something prevent Turk from playing even if he wins the kicking job.

“That didn’t really have a big effect,” Riley said. “I knew coming in if there is an issue we have two guys that can do it at a really high level. So maybe the concern is down a little bit.

“Our roster is not 100 percent vaccinated. We’ve got a couple guys that aren’t. That’s their choice. We’re trying to find a good place to try to keep them safe but also not… We don’t want to persecute guys that don’t have it. We just want to educate them. Our hope is we can get as many guys vaccinated as possible. Our guys have done a good job. But we understand if it doesn’t get to 100 percent there’s things we’ve got to do to make it work as a staff and (Turk) is no different.”

Even in a normal season, bringing someone in at the start of fall camp can be an uphill battle, but Brkic said Turk has fit right in at Oklahoma.

“Turk, he’s a good guy, he’s a great person and he’s a good punter as well,” Brkic said. “So we had no problem fitting him right into our specialist group and dynamic. He kind of slid right in.”

Flipping over to the return game, Riley said his punt returner is likely to remain unchanged.

“I would say Marvin (Mims) is pretty clearly the first guy there,” Riley said. “Drake (Stoops) has had some game experience there as well. We’ll look at a few options behind them but they are certainly one and two.”

Mims ranked 12th in the country last year in average punt return yardage, averaging 12.5 yards per return, reinforcing Riley’s decision to roll with the talented wide receiver.

But the kickoff return position is a little bit more up for grabs, Riley said.

“I’m not sure we won’t try a few guys once we get into the season,” Riley said. “It’s a little bit of a tough one to simulate. Most of the time you don’t have a lot of live tackling on kickoffs and kickoff returns in fall camp and we’re not much different there.”

D.J. Graham, Billy Bowman, Eric Gray, Mario Williams and Jalil Farooq were all players that Riley mentioned as potentially getting a shot at the gig once the season starts, but it’s just something that Riley believes will have to be sorted out once toe meets leather in New Orleans and beyond.

“I think some of it will be get in a game, see how they react, who’s coming out of tackles, who really hits it and can see and understand our return schemes,” Riley said.

It will be interesting to see how much usage Gray gets in the return game with the news that running back Marcus Major is reportedly ineligible.

Depth in the OU running backs room has come at a premium due to off the field issues this summer, and the risks of rolling out Gray on the kickoff return team may outweigh the rewards, as things could get pretty dire for the Sooners if either Gray or Kennedy Brooks miss any time.

Busting off big gains in the return game is a great luxury that can help flip the momentum in any game, and regardless of who is stationed in the end zone to receive the ball come Sept. 4, the Sooners appear to be in capable hands.

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the AllSooners message board community today!

Sign up for your premium membership to AllSooners.com today, and get access to the entire Fan Nation premium network!

Follow AllSooners on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest OU news.