Brent Venables addresses position change for Marcus Hicks

After spending the past couple of seasons at Oklahoma on the offensive line, Marcus Hicks will make a change in 2023. Sooners coach Brent Venables announced at the start of spring practice Monday that Hicks will move over to the defensive line.

Hicks began his career in Norman on the defensive line before later moving over to offense. He has not contributed much over the past four seasons, appearing in just three games during that time. But with the way the OU defense struggled last season, the opportunity presented itself for him to switch back.

“We’re gonna let him try out defensive line and give him an opportunity,” Venables said. “I know he was recruited as a jumbo guy that could be either or. He wanted an opportunity to show what he could do on the defensive line. So hopefully we can keep him healthy and give him a chance. He’s been banged up a lot. So hopefully he can have a healthy spring and strengthen us on the defensive line.”

Marcus Hicks signed with Oklahoma in 2019 as a four-star recruit out of Northwest High School in Wichita, Kansas. He was the No. 28 EDGE defender and No. 340 overall prospect according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Hicks entered his career with plenty of potential, choosing the Sooners over offers from Texas, Michigan, Ohio State and many others. But despite that promise, he never played a game on defense. After redshirting his first season, Hicks suffered an Achilles injury in 2020 that caused him to miss the entire season. He officially moved to offensive line the year after that.

Now he’ll finally get a chance to show his skills on the other side of the ball. Oklahoma is looking to improve in the second season under Venables after finishing ninth in the Big 12 in total defense with 461 yards allowed per game in 2022. That gives Hicks a chance to compete for playing time this spring.

The Sooners also brought in several transfers to help, including Indiana linebacker Dasan McCullough, Notre Dame defensive lineman Jacob Lacey and Oklahoma State defensive lineman Trace Ford. With that in mind, Hicks will face plenty of competition for reps. But even if he can provide depth to the defensive line, the switch will be worth it.

He’ll have time to show what he can do this spring before the Sooners host their annual spring game on April 22.