Oklahoma’s Michael Boganowski Emerging as Defensive Force After Spring Game

Michael Boganowski stood out in Oklahoma’s spring game, showcasing his physicality and growing leadership in the Sooners’ evolving defense.

Oklahoma safety Michael Boganowski chases after quarterback Bowe Bentley during the spring game. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Facing third-and-10 is usually a tough ask against Brent Venables’ Oklahoma defense. With true freshman Bowe Bentley at quarterback, the degree of difficulty only rose in that moment.

"You still gotta remember (Bentley's) 18, right?" Ben Arbuckle said on Saturday. "18 with (Michael) Boganowski and Danny Okoye coming at him. That's real."

Boganowski, the next starter at safety alongside Peyton Bowen, timed a delayed blitz through the A-gap. Bentley had little room to operate, and contact was inevitable.

Boganowski has built a reputation for his physical, hard-hitting style, which might make a setting like the Sooners’ Spring Game seem limiting. Quarterbacks are off-limits, after all. Still, while he understands those boundaries, he’s not the type to dial back his intensity simply because the jersey across from him matches his own.

"Whenever it is live, it is live," Boganowski said afterwards. "Treat it like a game. If the opportunity would have presented itself, I would have hit them as hard as I can."

Fortunately for Bentley, he was wearing the don’t-touch-me shade of blue. Unfortunately for future Oklahoma opponents, they won't have that luxury. With another spring in the rearview mirror, the third-year safety is becoming aware of his own development.

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"The only way to get better at football is to play football. With another spring game under my belt, I would definitely say I have improved a lot," he said.

Boganowski was one of the better performers on defense on Saturday. His six tackles and quarterback sack led the Red Team.

As the Sooners look to replace Robert Spears-Jennings, Boganowski's spring development may prove pivotal to the defense maintaining its status in the sport.

"I feel like I did good," Boganowski said. "Letting the plays come to me and really just focusing on dominating my space and making plays."

But hard hits and physicality are just one part of the equation. For Boganowski, he understands that there are layers of improvement needed in order to be a starter in Venables' system.

"I would say the goal every year is to be better than the past year. A lot of development that is under our belt. We still have summer workouts and fall camp. I think we are definitely trending the right way of where we need to be.

"I would say (for me to) be more of a vocal leader. I have always been more of a lead by action. That is the next step for me," Boganowski added.

He’s already flashing the production. The next step is pairing that physical presence with a voice the rest of the defense follows. If that growth comes, Oklahoma won’t just replace experience in the secondary — it may end up upgrading it.