The Oklahoma defense has the look of a unit that can stay near the top again, but there’s a familiar challenge sitting right in the middle of it: replacing what Kendal Daniels left behind.
Daniels, the former Oklahoma State transfer, gave the Sooners a strong one-year run at cheetah before moving on to the NFL. He finished with 53 tackles and nine tackles for loss, then was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. Now that job belongs to Reggie Powers, who steps into the starting role after serving as a valuable piece of the defense last season.
Powers wasn’t just along for the ride. He logged 31 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, and Oklahoma now needs that production to grow in a bigger role. He said he’s ready for the opportunity.
"I'm looking forward to it a lot," Powers said via OU Insider."You know, this is what I came here for: to be that guy and to be in the big-time games and play for my teammates. I got great guys I'm playing with, so I've got full confidence in others around me."
That’s the key for Oklahoma. The Sooners don’t need Powers to copy Daniels all at once. They need him to turn last season’s reps into steady production as the primary cheetah.
With enough returning talent to keep the defense among the team’s strengths, the real question is how much of the lost NFL production can be absorbed. If Powers makes the jump, Oklahoma may avoid much of a drop-off at one of Brent Venables’ most distinctive spots.
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What has stood out most inside the building is how seamlessly Saili has fit in with the group. Coaches and teammates have pointed to his experience and the way he adds competition and depth, the kind of presence that can matter over the long grind of a season. For Oklahoma, the early signs suggest this was more than just a routine transfer addition. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Season Opener Said Plenty About This Team Fast
UTEPs season opener in Norman turned into a long afternoon almost immediately, with the Miners falling behind early and never finding a way to make Oklahoma uncomfortable in a 51-0 loss to the No. 10 Sooners. Scotty Walden spent his postgame remarks sorting through the obvious setbacks, with special teams standing out as a particular problem, even as he tried to keep the bigger picture in view for a roster still trying to take shape.
There was at least some encouragement for UTEP on the offensive side, and Walden said he sees room for the group to keep developing after a game like this. The schedule does not offer much time to ease into that process, either, with Michigan, Texas Southern and Oregon State all still ahead in non-conference play, so the Miners will need whatever lessons they can carry out of Week 1. [Read more 🡒]
Brent Venables Just Raised The Stakes For Reggie Powers
Brent Venables did not exactly ease the pressure on Reggie Powers during a recent media appearance. The Oklahoma coach drew a direct line from the current cheetah expected to start this season to two of the programs most recognizable defensive standouts, Roy Williams and Tony Jefferson, a comparison that says plenty about how the staff views Powers and what it wants that spot to mean in the Sooners defense.
Powers enters the season with some familiarity at the position and with a clear opening after Kendal Daniels moved on to the NFL, but the opportunity comes with real expectations attached. For Oklahoma, the cheetah role is not just another spot on the depth chart, and Venables comments made it clear that Powers is being counted on not only to fill it, but to grow into the kind of impact player who can shape the defense the way past Sooners greats once did. [Read more 🡒]