Fresh Faces: Oklahoma DB Courtland Guillory Hoping to Make Immediate Impact

NORMAN — Courtland Guillory didn’t come to Oklahoma to sit around.

Guillory, a freshman defensive back, arrived in Norman in January and was one of several new players in OU’s secondary during spring ball.

Rated a 4-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals, Guillory comes to OU from Houston. He also received offers from Texas, Texas A&M and a handful of other major programs.

Guillory was playing his final season of high school football during OU’s troublesome 2024 season.

READ MORE OKLAHOMA FOOTBALL

Fresh Faces: Oklahoma WR Elijah Thomas Bringing Athleticism, Speed to Passing Game
Fresh Faces: Oklahoma DB Maliek Hawkins Continuing Family’s Sooner Legacy

How Will Oklahoma’s Robert Spears-Jennings Build on Stellar 2024 Season?

Report: Former Oklahoma RB Lands at South Florida

But despite the Sooners’ 6-7 (2-6 SEC) campaign, the defensive back still saw Oklahoma as the right fit — and somewhere that he could see significant usage immediately.

“I felt like I was wanted here in this program, and that’s a big reason,” Guillory said. “We were really going through a slump, but in my eyes, it was like ‘somebody needs to step up.’ It feels like a chance for me to play.”

In his senior year at Klein Oak High School, Guillory was the most valuable player in Texas’ District 15-6A. Even after being a star player at a large high school in Texas, the adjustment to the college offseason wasn’t easy for Guillory at first.

“The schedule’s completely different,” Guillory said. “You’re going to be ripping and running from the time you wake up at about 4 in the morning. In high school I was never doing that. It’s part of the process.”

According to those around him, though, Guillory has adjusted well.

The freshman’s new teammates see him as someone that has taken the offseason program seriously from Day 1, and they expect him to be a key player as a true freshman.

“(Guillory) has been a poised cornerback, turning heads this camp. I like how he plays, flies around and covers,” linebacker Kip Lewis said. “I like how he plays, flies around and covers.”

OU coach Brent Venables sees the Sooners’ group of defensive back newcomers as one that will contribute immediately and in years ahead.

“Courtland Guillory, Maliek Hawkins, some young guys. JJ (Jeremiah) Newcomb, he’s a pit bull out there, loves to compete,” Venables said.

Throughout the spring, Guillory looked up to sophomore cornerback Eli Bowen.

Bowen earned ESPN Freshman All-American honors after his 2024 season. The cornerback ended his first college football season with 30 tackles, four pass breakups, two tackles for loss and an interception in 11. Bowen played 558 snaps for the Sooners as a freshman, starting eight games in the Sooners’ secondary.

“It made me feel like if he did it, why not me?” Guillory said. “I’m an incoming freshman as well, so I’m trying to be a Freshman All-American myself.”

Knowing that he’ll have to earn playing time as a freshman, Guillory wants to establish a similar rapport with the coaching staff that Bowen gained a year ago.

If he does that, Guillory believes he can have a significant role on OU’s defense early in the season.”

“I came here to play; I didn’t come here for no reason,” Guillory said. “My whole purpose of this spring is to gain trust and show them that I can play, so Week 1 I can get some burn on the field.”