Ted Roof assesses Oklahoma linebackers, embracing competition on defense

The Oklahoma Sooners could have one of the best defenses in college football in 2022. Head coach Brent Venables hangs his hat on the defensive side of the ball. And, he has brought in veteran coach Ted Roof to run the defense and linebackers in his first year leading the program.

In a recent press conference, Roof assessed Oklahoma’s linebackers and their willingness to embrace competition.

“The thing I like about that group is there’s a lot of competition. There’s a lot there’s competition for starting jobs. There is going to be competition for playing time. And anytime there’s competition, that makes everybody better. So, I like that,” said Roof. “You’re right; we are athletic. I’ve got some guys that can run. But running in shorts is different than running with 40 pounds of gear on, trying to chase somebody who’s pretty fast too. So we’ll see how that goes. But I’m excited moving forward about what they’ve done this summer. I like the way they’ve worked, the way they’ve committed [to] spending time learning what to do. And again, I think I know we’re ahead of where we were when we stopped in the spring.”

The Sooner will have to replace two talented linebackers from last year’s team, Nick Bonitto, and Brian Asamoah. Bonitto was taken in the second round by the Denver Broncos after receiving all-American recognition in his previous two seasons in Oklahoma. And Asamoah was selected one round later by the Minnesota Vikings and received an all-Big 12 team nod in 2021.

Roof’s top four linebackers of the offseason

Replacing the productivity level of the two mentioned above would be difficult for most college football programs. However, the Sooners have a plethora of young talent ready to dominate on defense in 2022. Roof highlights four individuals in particular that have stood out to him this offseason.

“If you look at David Ugwoegbu and Danny Stutsman, both have been battle tested, and both of those guys had a great spring… I think they appreciate what each other brings to the table and have made each other better… so that’s been a great competition. DaShaun (White) and T.D (Roof) have had a great competition as well, and it’s made both of them better.”

For Roof, competition breeds success, which has been the case for the Sooners this offseason. Now, only time will tell if their success in practice translates over during the regular season. And if it does, Oklahoma will have a defense to compliment their high-octane offense worthy of a spot in the 2023 College Football Playoff.