A year after making life difficult for Oklahoma, Cole Sullivan is now wearing crimson and getting ready for a reunion with his old team.
The junior linebacker will be back in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday morning when No. 10 Oklahoma meets No.
16 Michigan at 11 a.m. on Fox. Sullivan said before preseason camp that the matchup would carry a different feel for him because of the people on the other sideline.
“It’s definitely going to be exciting to play in that game against those guys that I know on a personal level,” Sullivan said before preseason camp began. “It’s going to be a different experience for me.
It’s going to be a great challenge for our team. Both teams have high hopes for this season.”
Sullivan has opened the year with a strong showing in Oklahoma’s 51-0 rout of UTEP on Friday. He logged one tackle and one pass breakup across 20 plays, and Pro Football Focus gave him a 71.2 grade. Among Sooners linebackers who played more than five snaps, that ranked second behind only Owen Heinecke.
Heinecke liked what he saw from the newcomer.
“Cole, he’s got a nose for the ball,” Heinecke said after the win. “He makes a lot of plays.
He makes plays look easy. I think he settled in really well.
He played both cheetah and mike and he did a great job at both. We put a lot of checks in this week and did a good job of commanding the defense and taking control.
“Sky’s the limit for him and every week we’ve got to get better.”
Sullivan is backing up Heinecke at middle linebacker and is also part of the cheetah mix behind Reggie Powers III, especially when Oklahoma wants a more linebacker-heavy look at the spot.
James Nesta, another backup linebacker, said Sullivan has already made his presence felt in the room.
“He just elevates the room every time he steps on the field,” Nesta said. “He’s a great athlete, an even better person and really glad to have him as my teammate.”
Sullivan’s history with Oklahoma goes back to last season, when he posted three tackles, two of them solo, a sack and a fumble recovery in the Sooners’ 24-13 win. He later broke into the starting lineup late in the year and finished with 44 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
For a defense that asks a lot quickly, Sullivan’s move has looked smooth so far. Defensive tackle Nigel Smith II pointed to the work behind the scenes.
“He’s just a smart guy,” Smith said. “He’s come here, he’s worked, he’s been in that film room, and I feel like he just did everything it takes to be able to come here. And everybody makes their mistakes, but he’s done nothing but stack days, and that’s what it takes.”
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