Oklahoma 2022 Report Card: Defensive Tackles

Oklahoma's defensive line also struggled up the middle at times this year as Brent Venables tried to change the face of the defense.

Author:
Ryan Chapman
Publish date:
Jan 6, 2023 8:00 AM EST

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Oklahoma Sooners

Todd Bates took on a big challenge when he accepted the job to coach Oklahoma’s defensive tackles.

Though his room wasn’t devoid of talent, Alex Grinch’s “Speed D” scheme left him a group of intentionally undersized lineman that relied on stunts and twists to create chaos.

Jalen Redmond, Isaiah Coe, Jordan Kelley and Josh Ellison returned as major contributors from the 2021 defense, and Bates immediately added Tulane transfer Jeffery Johnson to help bolster his numbers.

Returning strength coach Jerry Schmidt worked to add mass to OU’s defensive interior, and the Sooners had mixed results in the first year of Brent Venables’ defense.

2022 OU Report Cards:

Wednesday, Jan. 4: Defensive Ends
Thursday, Jan. 5: Offensive Line
Friday, Jan. 6: Defensive Tackles
Saturday, Jan. 7: Tight Ends
Sunday, Jan. 8: Linebackers
Monday, Jan. 9: Wide Receivers
Tuesday, Jan. 10: Cornerbacks
Wednesday, Jan. 11: Running Backs
Thursday, Jan. 12: Safeties
Friday, Jan. 13: Quarterbacks
Saturday, Jan. 14: Special Teams
Sunday, Jan. 15: Coaching Staff

Those five defensive lineman combined on 9.5 sacks, 31.5 tackles for loss and 103 total tackles in 2023.

The interior helped the Sooners finish fourth in the country in total tackles for loss this season, but the performances were far from perfect.

Much like Oklahoma’s defensive ends, the defensive tackles struggled to make their presence felt at times during Big 12 play.

Redmond came alive down the stretch, notching three of his four sacks in November, but Oklahoma still went 1-3 overall down the stretch.

The Sooners’ rushing defense was especially lacking, as OU finished No. 106-overall in the country allowing 187.5 yards per game on the ground.

Kansas State, TCU Texas, Baylor and West Virginia all picked up over 200 yards on the ground against the front seven, with all of those opponents save West Virginia gashing Oklahoma for over five yards per carry.

Short yardage situations were especially bad for Oklahoma, as the defensive line failed to generate any push at the point of attack.

As a result, opponents were aggressive on fourth downs against Venables’ defense, converting 15-of-29 attempts.

FB - Jalen Redmond, Blake Shapen, Baylor Bears — Jalen Redmond led Oklahoma's defensive tackles with 4.0 sacks this year
NATHAN J FISH / THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

Redmond still felt his season was good enough to chase down his NFL dreams as the defensive lineman declared for the draft, and Oklahoma will have to replace Johnson who ran out of eligibility at the end of 2022 as well as Ellison who entered the transfer portal.

Coe has already announced he’ll be back next year, while Bates waits on Kelley’s 2023 decision.

Oklahoma also added Notre Dame transfer Jacob Lacey to the fold via the portal, but Venables and Bates will hope for plenty more production out of the defensive tackles with another year of the defense under their belts.

Grading the offensive line: