Brent Venables is still sorting through the ripple effects of Owen Heinecke’s return, and the biggest one may be where Michigan transfer Cole Sullivan ultimately lands in Oklahoma’s defense.
Sullivan arrived with the expectation that he could step right into a starting job at either middle linebacker or weakside linebacker. That path changed when Heinecke was granted a preliminary injunction and earned another year of eligibility, reopening a spot in the mix and forcing OU to rethink how the linebacker room fits together.
Venables isn’t hiding the fact that Sullivan has already become more than just a newcomer trying to find his footing.
“We’ve been training him up to play multiple spots, and I love where he’s at,” Venables said of Sullivan. “He’s earned great respect from guys in the locker room. He’s become a leader, which is not an easy thing to do as a new player.
“He’s done it through spending a lot of time investing in the film room and with the players - Owen and (weakside linebacker Kip Lewis) are as good an influence on helping Cole become a really good player for us.”
At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Sullivan brings production with him. Last season, he posted 44 tackles, along with five tackles for loss, three interceptions, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The uncertainty around his exact role hasn’t lessened the importance of what he brings. With inexperience behind Heinecke and Lewis, plus the injury to Taylor Heim, Venables said Sullivan is going to have a major part to play no matter where he lines up.
“The depth of this conference, the margins, the involvement with linebackers and the kicking game,” Venables said. “We still have some issues there when it comes to depth - some questions. We’ll see how it all works out.”
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