Oklahoma special teams coordinator Doug Deakin sees the NCAA’s new eligibility rules as a major win for his side of the ball.
Under the change, student-athletes will now get five years to play five seasons, and the old four-game limit for redshirts is gone. For Deakin, that opens up the entire roster in a way that could reshape how Oklahoma builds its special teams units.
“Game changer for a special teams coach because the four-game (rule) to, then you play your fifth, becomes a reality,” Deakin said on Tuesday. “Especially if the player is a depth player at his position.”
That matters most, he said, when a young player can help immediately on special teams while still developing at his primary spot. Deakin pointed to offensive linemen as a clear example, since he has often had to work through those decisions with Bill Bedenbaugh.
“You’re going to use a true freshman because he’s big enough, stout enough, strong enough on PAT field goal protection, but he’s a reserve interior offensive (lineman) or a reserve tackle for you,” Deakin said. “It’s like now all of a sudden Coach Bedenbaugh has three years moving forward with a player when he truly needs that player to develop. And goes for any other position.
The new rule hits close to home for freshmen receivers Manny Choice and Elijah Thomas, who both chose to keep contributing on special teams last year rather than redshirt.
Venables highlighted Thomas’ impact in December, saying, “(Thomas) really created a role for himself (on special teams),” Venables said last December. “Not at receiver, but he's transitioning from high school to college. Doug's done a great job putting him in position to have him have real impact.
“… Doug Deakin has really done a great job as far as, again, continuing to build on the culture that we want there, create the buy-in, get guys excited to compete and impact and enforce the game through just having, again, a bad case of the want-to.”
Deakin said Choice and Thomas deserve the credit because they made the choice to stay involved.
“There was no reservation last year with (the five-for-five rule) not being officially passed,” Deakin said. “That was a conversation.
I said, now legislation may - I won’t know. I’m not part of those NCAA meetings.
But it is moving towards - so that was a thing I talked to them about. But that wasn’t necessarily - they came and were like, ‘How can I play more?’
“And it wasn’t, ‘Oh, I’m only on special teams. Please take me off.
I’m here to play receiver.’ It was, ‘I’m here to help the team win.’
And those were two examples of how the team sentiment was and has been for my tenure here.”
With the rule now in place, Deakin expects more young players to be able to help his unit without worrying about what it means for their eligibility down the line.
“What’s even better is their heart and why they’re here,” Deakin said. “… Again, why OU?
It’s the people. It’s the players.”
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