OU Defensive Line Coach Calvin Thibodeaux Has Been Busier Than Ever as His Group Evolves

In a normal year, Oklahoma assistant coach Calvin Thibodeaux might have seven or eight players in his defensive tackles room.

There’s more now — potentially a lot more — and it’s not because there are more defensive tackles on the OU roster.

“You train more guys because an opportunity is going to present itself,” Thibodeaux said Wednesday during a video press conference. “We cross-train some guys and we cross-train some defensive ends, just in case the opportunity presents itself. We don’t know what the season is going to throw at us. We want to make sure we’re ready for all situations.”

“Opportunities” and “situations” in this case might mean a large group of players quarantined with COVID-19. So LaRon Stokes and Jalen Redmond and Jordan Kelley and Isaiah Thomas and Kori Roberson might have an “opportunity” one week to play a lot of defensive tackle or noseguard, while they might be in a “situation” the next week where they have to play defensive end.

“A lot of that initial conversation we had stemmed from just simply the fact that dual-training guys, it’s gonna be a more fluid roster,” defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said. “At least, you’ve got to anticipate as you go through this.

“I think we’ll have more bodies up front to rotate with than we did a year ago. We’ll see how that plays out.”

Grinch said teaching junior college transfers Perrion Winfrey and Joshua Ellison and other newcomers virtual lessons has been “a crash course,” but said Thibodeaux “does a tremendous job with those guys. I’ve bene very pleased with where they’ve been at from a mental standpoint.”

In addition to online learning, Thibodeaux has had to adjust to keeping more guys abreast about the potential for more “opportunities.”

“You never know if they’re game ready until the game,” Thibodeaux said. “But I think the way we do things here and the way coach Grinch sets everything up, it’s allowed us to get as many reps as we possibly can through walkthrough times and just how we practice.”

To that end, Thibodeaux said he’s more comfortable in Year 2 under Grinch and he was in 2019.

“As far as teaching it, that wasn’t as big of a deal,” Thibodeaux said. “Just learning how coach calls it, how he thinks. You kind of have to go through a season to experience that. But now, I kind of got a good feel on how coach is going to call a game.”

Thibodeaux is also coaching a slightly different position group: last year he coached the entire defensive line while Ruffin McNeill coached outside linebackers. This year, newcomer Jamar Cain will take the ends and outside linebackers, and Thibodeaux will coach noseguards and tackles.

He and Cain will work in concert and borrow from each other as they identify those players who have “opportunities” to cross-train both inside and outside.

“He’s a stud, man,” Thibodeaux said of Cain. “He’s a great teacher. He’s been good for the team. Good energy. Great recruiter. He’s just been a bonus to our staff. He brought some things from Arizona State and it’s been good for us. Anytime you’re on this staff together, the camaraderie is going to be great. That starts with our head coach. That starts with our defensive coordinator. It’s been really good. It’s been a blessing to have him on staff.”

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