Oklahoma 2020 Report Card: Interior Defensive line

SI Sooners Publisher John Hoover and Deputy Editor Ryan Chapman look back on the 2020 season, handing out position-by-position grades for every position group

Author:
Ryan Chapman
Publish date:
Jan 12, 2021 8:00 AM EST

Hoover's Grade: B+

Credit Alex Grinch for not only recognizing the need for immediate impact defensive line play in 2020, but for being able to land the top two junior college tackles in the country in Perrion Winfrey and Joshua Ellison.

And then credit Grinch and defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux for getting those guys and the rest of Oklahoma’s interior d-line to play at an elite level all season.

Winfrey rightfully got all the headlines — remember, he blocked the field goal to save the game against Texas on pure ability; his ceiling is extremely high — but Ellison (15 tackles) had an underrated season for the way he consistently helped change the line of scrimmage.

And once backups Kori Roberson (4 TFLs) and Jordan Kelley (2 TFLs) started getting consistent reps near midseason, both played well the rest of the way — especially after reliable LaRon Stokes (2019’s Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, 2.5 TFLs) went down with injury.

Now add the heart and talent of natural defensive end Isaiah Thomas to bolster the interior push and the Sooner front four rose to a level of play it hasn’t seen in a decade or more.

Chapman's Grade: A

The Oklahoma defensive line was perhaps the biggest surprise in all of the Big 12, with the Sooners growing into one of the best units in all of college football.

Junior college transfer nose tackle Perrion Winfrey and part time-inside man Isaiah Thomas anchored the interior of the unit, eating up double teams to make life easy on the OU edge rushers.

Though he finished with just 18 total tackles, 6 TFLs and 0.5 quarterback sacks, Winfrey was a monster in the middle, changing the dynamic of Calvin Thibodeaux’s defensive line. Add in the contributions of Joshua Ellison, Kori Roberson and Jordan Kelley, and the interior of the d-line become one of the most reliable position groups on the entire team.

Returning the entirety of their production before the reintroduction of Jalen Redmond to the team, look for the interior of the defensive line to play a major role in Oklahoma’s quest for another national title in 2021.