Kelly primed to step into leadership role
With less than a month to go until the start of spring football practice, The Oklahoman is analyzing the state of the Sooners’ position groups. Today, we’ll look at the linebackers and edge-rushing defensive ends who will participate in OU’s spring practice. Scholarship players lost: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, D.J. Ward, Emmanuel Beal Scholarship players returning: Curtis Bolton, Caleb Kelly, Jon-Michael Terry, Mark Jackson Jr., Addison Gumbs, Kenneth Murray, Levi Draper, K’Jakyre Daley
Newcomers: Ronnie Perkins, Jalen Redmond
THREE STORYLINES TO WATCH Replacing Okoronkwo
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo spent his final season as a hybrid linebacker/defensive end, responsible for much of the Sooners’ pass rush.
With Okoronkwo’s departure, Oklahoma has big shoes to fill in his role. After playing in 13 games last season, Mark Jackson Jr. appears to be next in line to fill that role.
The former four-star prospect recorded seven total tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in his sophomore season. When Okoronkwo injured his thumb against Kansas State,
Jackson was his replacement.
Keeping up with Kelly
With Okoronkwo’s graduation, rising junior Caleb Kelly is the heir apparent to the leader of the linebacker group.
He’s always been Okoronwko’s little brother, but now he’s primed to be the big brother of the position group. Kelly had a frustrating season early on as he struggled to live up to the standard he set in the Sugar Bowl.
But after he stopped overanalyzing his play, Kelly settled into his sophomore season. Kelly came up big in the Rose Bowl by forcing a fourth-quarter fumble that Steven Parker returned for a 46-yard touchdown.
Head start
While OU signed three linebackers and three defensive linemen in the 2018 class, only two will be on campus for spring football.
Both Ronnie Perkins and Jalen Redmond are listed as weakside defensive ends on Rivals, and being on campus for the spring should give both a significant edge in development. Both four-star prospects with nearly identical measurements, both Perkins and Redmond have the potential to get on the field early.