Riley impressed with Robert Barnes' development

Barnes will shift to linebacker; Riley says it's "where he [is] at his best"

It’s no secret that Alex Grinch’s goal is to completely revamp the way the Oklahoma Sooners play defense.

Whether it’s his uncompromising emphasis on turnovers, his no-nonsense attitude, or his aggressive in-game play calling, there’s something different about the way Grinch conducts business.

So it’s rather understandable that in Year 2, he’s already taking a distinctly different approach with his personnel.

Among the more prominent changes: former safety Robert Barnes, who played four games in 2019 before redshirting, will move to linebacker to better accommodate Grinch’s scheme. And less than three months into the offseason, Barnes is already earning rave reviews from his head coach.

“You can tell he’s been in this system; he knows what the calls are,” said Lincoln Riley. “Obviously it’s a little different down there that close to the line of scrimmage, but that was always, in our opinion, where he was at his best.”

Barnes played in 21 total games between the 2017 and 2018 seasons, recording 69 total tackles and two interceptions. Perhaps his most memorable moment came in Lubbock in 2018. With the Sooners clinging to a 42-40 lead over Texas Tech, Barnes intercepted a pass on a potential game-tying two-point conversion attempt. He proceeded to rumble 100-plus yards all the way to the other end zone for two points of his own.

Now, the redshirt junior takes on a new challenge, as he’ll be partially responsible for filling the Kenneth Murray-sized hole in the Sooner linebacking corps.

“There’s going to be a learning curve,” Riley acknowledged. “But it’s going to be a lot faster than just a true freshman rolling in here that doesn’t understand the system or the way we do things.”

And indeed, it’s worth noting that linebacker should come somewhat naturally to Barnes. In fact, it runs in his blood - his father, Reggie, played linebacker at OU from 1989-92.

To get the latest OU posts as they happen, join the SI Sooners Community by clicking “Follow” at the top right corner of the page (mobile users can click the notifications bell icon), and follow SI Sooners on Twitter @All_Sooners.