Young Oklahoma D-Lineman Ready to Make an Impact After Lingering Injury

NORMAN — Coming out of Oklahoma's fall camp in August, one name that many people raved about was sophomore edge rusher R Mason Thomas.

After playing in 10 games and making four starts as a true freshman, there was belief that Thomas may be the most talented pass rusher on the team coming into the 2023 season.

As a true freshman last season, the former Cardinal Gibbons (FL) standout tallied seven tackles, one tackle for loss and half a sack. After reportedly performing extremely well in the Sooners' fall camp,

But Thomas has not had the season that many believed he was capable of.

At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, OU head coach Brent Venables said the talented defensive lineman has been dealing with a high ankle sprain, which he pointed out is a tricky injury to handle.

Despite not being fully healthy before this point, Venables seems confident that Thomas will be able to make a big impact for the team moving forward.

"He was our best in fall camp until he got banged up with the high sprain. He was given the green light after several weeks," Venables said.

"He’s starting to feel good, I think the confidence piece. He’s actually banged up both ankles, so it’s been frustrating for him. He’s long, he’s got incredible speed, his explosiveness, he’s super twitchy, plays with great power naturally. He’s really coming into his own. So hopefully we can get him back on track. It was good to see him have a little success last week. My expectation is to see that develop in a positive direction as we move forward."

Against UCF on Saturday, Thomas played 19 snaps, which was the fourth-highest total by a Sooners' edge rusher. Veterans Rondell Bothroyd, Ethan Downs and Trace Ford all saw more snaps than Thomas against the Golden Knights.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 239 pounds, Thomas has the speed, quickness and flexibility to be another solid rotation player to add to a defensive line that has already played very well so far this season. If Thomas is able to add to Oklahoma's "competitive depth" on the edge, it would make OU's defensive line even more dangerous.

Thomas, a former 4-star recruit, has shades of Ford in his play style and could easily rotate in with the redshirt senior to ensure that both players are fresh for the game's key moments.

With the two aforementioned speed rushers in addition to Downs and Bothroyd, who are both power rushers, the Sooners have a diverse group of skill sets on the defensive line.

Thomas seems to agree, saying after practice on Monday that Oklahoma has a solid defensive line room this season.

"We have a talented group, second year in Coach Venables' defense," Thomas said. "For me, the more reps I took, the better we are. So I know just rep after rep, gaining weight and all the above on the details and getting extra film in as a group, we just excel. We're taking it a step further."

The former Iowa State commit also said that it while it was frustrating to deal with injury setbacks, he was happy to support his teammates. Now that Thomas is healthy again, he's able to be part of the group's success.

"It's not frustrating at all anymore. Like I said, the first two days, it was a little frustrating and a little doubtful," Thomas said. "But cheering my teammates on was probably the best thing I could do on the sideline for those games. Now I'm actually cheering my teammates on and playing. It's even better."

With Thomas healthy again, the Sooners’ defensive line rotation is even deeper and should continue to improve. If the speedy edge rusher's play and Venables' sentiments are any indication, it would not be surprising to see Thomas' snap count continue to increase as the season progresses.

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