Why CB C.J. Coldon is So Thankful to Be Emerging at Oklahoma

NORMAN — Oklahoma cornerback C.J. Coldon has emerged as an unlikely star on the OU defense.

On this day above all others, he couldn’t be more thankful.

“Every time I step on the field, you’ve got to be grateful,” Coldon said Monday night after practice, “because I was injured twice in my career. So I’m just grateful. Every time I step on the field is a blessing. You never know when it’s your last play.”

Coldon, a super senior from Belleville, IL, started 19 games at Wyoming, but battled multiple injuries. After redshirting in 2017, he played three games in 2018, three games in 2019 and then six games in 2020. In 2021, he finally got a full season and stayed healthy — and played great, collecting 65 tackles in 12 starts.

He figured why not end his career by exploring the transfer portal? When new Oklahoma coach Brent Venables and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai contacted him, he was ready to go.

“They were just super authentic,” Coldon said. “They mean well. They’re hard-nosed coaches. They mean what they say. The program is in great hands.”

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Coldon knew he was in for a significant step up in competition. He prepared himself — and then Venables prepared him even more with a reminder.

“It’s going to be a challenge,” Coldon said. “He asked me on my visit when I committed, he asked me do I mind hard coaching? I didn’t know it was going to be this hard, but I said yeah with a smile, just all lit up. It’s been difficult just learning, the experience. Just taking it all in.”

Coldon has played in 10 games this season. While he was a solid rotational guy early, he didn’t get into the starting lineup until the Nov. 12 game at West Virginia, when starter Jaden Davis sat out with an injury. Coldon has started the last two weeks and has emerged as arguably the Sooners’ top corner.

Against WVU, he made a career-high 13 tackles. He also landed what looked like a key end zone interception that was nullified by penalty. Last week against Oklahoma State, Coldon did get his team-leading third interception of the season.

Coldon had an odd pick against Texas, when Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers lobbed a throwaway into what he thought was open space, and Coldon chased it down. His interception against OSU was similar, a miscommunication between Cowboys QB Spencer Sanders and his receiver that left Coldon all alone in space making an easy over-the-shoulder catch. His almost-pick at WVU looked similar, where he was catching the football all alone.

Last week's INT off Sanders was trickier than it looked, he said.

“It was me and the ball,” he said, “so just focusing on it. It was a pretty easy catch and it looks like it, but those easy ones are the most difficult.”

But his one-handed, leaping, falling down interception against Kansas was no fluke. It was the product of a lot of preparation, a lot of studying, and a lot of patient learning.

“Just trusting the game plan, trusting my coaches,” Coldon explained. “In practice, just working hard, going to get the ball, looking it all the way in. Just the small things. Catching the ball with your eyes first and just finishing plays. The effort comes with it, but that’s a given.”

Coldon said making the transition from Mountain West Conference football in Laramie to Big 12 Conference football in Norman was slow at first. He didn’t arrive on campus until last June, so he’s been naturally behind the curve.

How did he finally catch up?

“Learning patience, learning a new system,” he said. “People in the league (NFL) get traded overnight sometimes. Just having to be in city (after) city. Just learning a new system, new terminology, defenses, the way coaches operate, having new teammates. Just adjustments all the way around. Strength coaches, new facilities, the way around a new city. Just things like that.”

One thing Venables applauded Coldon for early was his game experience at Wyoming. But Venables said Tuesday the more he learned about Coldon, the more he enjoyed the whole encounter of recruiting him from the portal — and certainly noticed Coldon’s gratitude.

“Just had a lot of energy,” Venables said. “Very humble, articulate. He was very thankful for the opportunity he had where he was. Was a good player for them. He had nothing but good things to say about the environment he was in every day. I liked that, as opposed to saying, ‘I have to get out of here, this place stinks,’ or whatever. That was important in our initial conversation. Never asked for anything. He didn’t want me to explain to him how quickly he would become the starter or anything like that. He was thankful to have the opportunity to come.

“Everybody I had spoken to spoke highly about him from a standpoint of work ethic, competitiveness, great teammate, things of that nature. Those were some of our initial conversations and first impressions. We liked what we saw on tape. We knew we were thin in the secondary. The biggest disappointment was … when we found out he couldn’t be here for spring ball. That was disappointing. Still would have taken him anyway. That put him behind some of the other guys.”

Coldon came to Norman with a solid foundation of technique, which is everything to a cornerback. Still, he probably learns something new every day from Venables and Valai.

“Coach is pretty lenient,” Coldon said,” but it’s good for me to learn new techniques. You don’t want to have the same old tricks. Just learning new techniques, learning what coach knows. Coach Valai has just been teaching me the game in and out. Coach BV, he coached some GOATS, some league guys at corner. (A.J.) Terrell, (Trayvon) Mullen, just great guys. And coach Valai also coming from ‘Bama, he knows a lot. So I’ve learned a lot and I brought a lot with me. But my effort is one thing that’s sticking with me wherever I go.

“It’s a blessing just seeing the work all show so everybody can see. I wouldn’t be able to do it without my teammates, my coaches, the game plan. Just coming here working every day, grinding, being very detailed in practice, meetings, just taking notes, watching film. Just going with the game plan, staying detailed, staying with everything in the preparation."

Now Coldon is wrapping up his college football career. The Sooners conclude the regular season on Saturday night at Texas Tech, and after that, he'll play in a bowl game and then hopes to play in the NFL.

It's important to him to make the most of these last few opportunities.

“Just making it count every day because time is ticking," he said. "It’s getting slimmer and slimmer, day by day. There’s still games left, so just making it count.”

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