All Sooners

Summer Heat, Part 1: Brent Venables Talks Oklahoma's Late Transfers

Part one of a series exploring OU's post-spring transfers and what Sooners Brent Venables said about linebacker Konnor Near.
John E. Hoover|
Summer Heat, Part 1: Brent Venables Talks Oklahoma's Late Transfers
Summer Heat, Part 1: Brent Venables Talks Oklahoma's Late Transfers

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Oklahoma Sooners

ARLINGTON, TX — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables clearly wasn’t content with the defensive roster at the end of spring ball.

So the Sooners’ head man dipped back into the transfer portal to add some summer talent.

FOR MORE

Oklahoma Adds All-American LB

In addition to offensive lineman Troy Everett from Appalachian State, OU added three newcomers on defense: linebacker Konnor Near from Division II Ferris State, defensive lineman Da’Jon Terry from Tennessee and defensive tackle Phillip Paea from Utah State.

“Competition brings out the best in everybody and we needed more competition,” Venables said. “More guys that are capable of playing at a really high level.”

Big 12 Media Days on Thursday was Venables’ first public media appearance since their arrival, so AllSooners asked Venables to elaborate on adding the mid-summer newcomers.

This is part one of a series on what Venables had to say:

LB Konnor Near

Appalachian State

The 6-foot-2, 236-pound Near is actually a two-time national champ who helped the Bulldogs to the crown in 2021 and 2022.

Near, from St. Johns, MI, has received offers from Georgia Tech, Duke, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Oklahoma (on April 29) and others in the week after entering the NCAA Transfer Portal on April 20.

In 15 games last season, Near made 66 tackles with three quarterback sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. In 13 games in 2021, Near had 27 total tackles with two TFLs.

“You know, the thing about Konnor Near is he’s a four-year starter. He’s an All-American,“ Venables said. “He’s a captain. He’s a national champion. My fear at linebacker is that we’ve got one linebacker that’s ever started a college football game in Danny Stutsman.

“And really wanted to bring the right person, the right individual, the right player that fit our culture, our playing stylem, you know, that brought experience. I wasn’t just going to bring in an experienced guy. I wanted a guy that can line up and play winning football for us. 

“And so Konnor is a guy that’s going to bring instincts, toughness, physicality. He’s gonna be able to lead a defense. He’s going to be able to communicate. He’s going to be able to perform under pressure. And he knows right from wrong. He understands standards. He understands a locker room. He understands leadership. He understands tough coaching and he’s won at the highest level. And so I’m excited to bring in a guy like Konnor and he’ll help expedite growth of other players. … And he’s been wonderful, his commitment, his work. High expectations.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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