Alvarez fighting for starting job
Oklahoma’s Jonathan Alvarez is back after redshirting last season and is fighting for the center job with Creed Humphrey.
NORMAN — Jonathan Alvarez spent last season waiting anxiously on the sideline.
Dressed in his uniform, helmet in hand, the center watched every Oklahoma football game intently, knowing that any moment he could be called to jam that helmet on his head and trot onto the field.
For most of the season, he was Erick Wren’s backup, just one play away from burning a redshirt season. Now, he’s back in the mix to be OU’s starting center, competing with redshirt freshman Creed Humphrey for the spot.
“It was stressful,” Alvarez said. “Having to sit on the sidelines, always having to be ready, nothing changed. Even when I didn’t play, I was always into the game.
“Now I just had to pay attention in case anything did happen. In an instant, everything could have changed.”
After playing in 21 games — starting 13 — in his first three seasons, sitting out last season was hardly how Alvarez anticipated his would-be senior year to go.
But when Wren, who started the final 10 games of the 2016 season at center, received an extra year of eligibility, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh decided to redshirt Alvarez in hopes of building future depth at the position.
“It was probably the hardest thing I’ve gone through,” Alvarez said. “I haven’t had to sit out since, like, forever. Having to sit out a whole year and just watch was hard. It was difficult. I knew it was a time to make myself better and work on me.”
To get through it all, Alvarez spent a lot of time leaning on Ty Darlington, who started at center for OU in 2014 and 2015 and worked with the Sooners in an offensive quality control position last year.
“He understood,” Alvarez said. “It was difficult so he was able to sit down with me and talk me through it. Helped me realize it was for the best.”
To occupy his time, Alvarez spent the year diving into film and refining his technique. He practiced with the scout team and the starters, making sure he was prepared in case Wren suffered a season-ending injury.
He also worked at the other two interior positions to give OU more depth there. When he wasn’t practicing, he spent time observing the other linemen.
“I just think having that extra year not worrying about being on the field, you can sit back, you can study, you can help coach guys,” Bedenbaugh said. “And I think when you go out there and you're coaching guys, it helps you learn as well.”
Bedenbaugh assured Alvarez he wouldn’t go in a game unless the injury was serious. The co-offensive coordinator also told his player that he wouldn’t pull his redshirt late in the season.
“Coach B had promised me that if it got too far into the season, he wasn’t going to jeopardize me,” Alvarez said. “He wanted me to have this year as bad as I did. Once it hit a certain point in the year, I was good.”
Now, Alvarez is back in action, primarily vying for the center job with Humphrey, who is also coming off a redshirt year.
Unlike Alvarez, Humphrey doesn’t have any game experience. But what he lacks in on-field work, he makes up for with raw strength and ability.
“I think we'll be in about as a good a position as I've ever been at that spot,” Bedenbaugh said. “We'll have two really good guys.
“I don't know that anything will get settled even through the spring so it will be a competition going into next fall.”