Oklahoma mailbag: Talking NCAA violations, the center spot, poor tackling and more (2024)

NORMAN, Okla. — No. 5 Oklahoma hopes to continue its red-hot start to the 2018 season against Army, which visits Owen Field for the first time since 1959 Saturday night.

Despite quarterback Kyler Murray’s Heisman-level performance so far, there are some lingering questions about this team, especially on defense. OU had some tackling troubles last week at Iowa State that were quite reminiscent of recent defenses.

It’s time for another edition of our OU mailbag. We cover a wide variety of topics here, including the dust-up over secondary NCAA violations, Creed Humphrey’s ascension to the starting center position and, of course, the defense’s tackling issues last week.

Should we expect any sort of sanctions from the NCAA regarding the secondary violations? Could OU be forced to stop recruiting Arjei Henderson like Ohio State did with Micah Parsons? — Tyler O., Tulsa, Okla.

The Oklahoman filed an Freedom of Information Act request for a list of violations OU had submitted to the NCAA. When I was at The Oklahoman, we made requests like this on a fairly regular basis and we did so far a lot of reasons. Sometimes, it’s good to see what kinds of things OU is reporting to the NCAA. It gives you a good idea of how thorough — or not thorough — the Oklahoma compliance office is, and it’s always interesting to read through those things to see if there is anything newsworthy. That OU only self-reported secondary violations is a good thing.

There always is a decent amount of controversy when media outlets publish violations like these. OU administrators get frustrated because secondary violations are minor ones. Sometimes they are as ridiculous as softball coach Patty Gasso responding to a “Merry Christmas” text with “Same to you,” not realizing that she was responding to a prospective student-athlete.

When I was at The Oklahoman, we published OU’s secondary violations and they included the comical “pasta in excess of the permissible amount allowed” report.

Administrators, fans and even some coaches often believe the publication of this information makes their program look bad. I think just the opposite: This kind of information only serves to highlight the absurdity of the NCAA rulebook and Oklahoma’s incredibly thorough — and, some would argue, often superfluous — interpretation of it. I can’t emphasize to you enough how seriously OU executive director of compliance Jason Leonard takes his job and how tough he is when it comes to stuff like this.

So, to the question at hand: Among the list of secondary violations published was an item about Oklahoma wide receiver commitment Arjei Henderson. He is a four-star prospect and a consensus national top-100 prospect in the 2019 class.

Henderson announced his commitment to Oklahoma in a video recorded and posted by TheFootballBrainiacs.com. The video was produced during Henderson’s official visit to OU this spring and was recorded on the Memorial Stadium field.

The recording officially began Henderson’s 48-hour clock for his official visit, and he ended up being on the campus for more than the allowed 48 hours. The video also was recorded at a time when the field was closed to the general public. OU and coaches said they were unaware of the situation until the video was posted.

In every self-reported violation, OU includes information about the action taken. All that was listed for this particular violation was that OU “provided information” to the website that published the video. If OU was going to stop recruiting Henderson because of it, that would have been included in OU’s report to the NCAA.

In Parsons’ case, it was Ohio State’s decision to stop recruiting him after a secondary violation was discovered. Is it possible that OU would stop recruiting Henderson over this video? Sure. But that clearly hasn’t happened, so both he and the website in question seem to have dodged a bullet there.

I’ve taken issue with the way The Football Brainiacs does business since the website was founded. Although it resulted in an NCAA violation, the actual recording of the video was not one, at least according to OU’s report. But because the website is owned by former Sooners wide receiver Ryan Broyles and is operated by people who aren’t the least bit shy about expressing their OU fandom, I do think it at least raises some additional questions.

That website has spent several years trying to be taken seriously as a journalistic entity, but I can tell you that none of the other major media outlets, including the Rivals and 247Sports affiliates that provide in-depth recruiting coverage, have produced commitment videos for prospects.

There should be a clear, red line between being a fan and being a journalist, and The Football Brainiacs have crossed that line many times and did it again with this video. That there was an NCAA violation makes it even worse.

Is Creed Humphrey or Jonathan Alvarez the better center? I see a lot more breakdowns in protection and blocking when Humphrey is in there, but he’s getting more snaps, it seems. — David G., Penfield, N.Y.

Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh finally settled this question for good after practice Monday. I asked him if he was waiting for one of the two centers to take the position from the other, and Bedenbaugh responded, “Yeah, it’s happened. We needed continuity at that spot, and it’s happened and we’re going to move forward.”

It was a bit startling because there hadn’t been any kind of official announcement. On the depth chart released earlier that day, there was an “OR” between Alvarez and Humphrey.

I was so startled by Bedenbaugh’s response that I kind of questioned myself. Had I missed something earlier that day? Had I asked a stupid question? (And believe me when I say Bedenbaugh is the kind of guy who can stare a hole through a reporter who asks a stupid question.) So I kind of stammered a bit before another reporter asked if it was Humphrey, and Bedenbaugh confirmed that it was.

Alvarez, a senior, and Humphrey, a redshirt freshman, went through an intense position battle throughout the preseason that remained unsettled until this week. Alvarez started the opener against Florida Atlantic and Game 3 at Iowa State, while Humphrey started Game 2 against UCLA. Both played in all three games.

“Snapped good during the (Iowa State) game, as good as he’s ever snapped,” Bedenbaugh said of Humphrey. “Now, you know he’s played on the road, he’s played in a road environment, he’s played in games, he made his start here at home. I think it’s time you got to bring guys along, you know. You don’t want to put them in a situation to fail.

“He stepped up to the challenge. … He’s going to be a great player. He continues to get better mentally. He’s got to continue to study. He’s got to be the leader now, and he’s got to put in more time than he ever has.”

My gut tells me Bedenbaugh has wanted to go with Humphrey for a long time, maybe even back into the early part of preseason camp. But center is a hard position, especially for a freshman, and maybe Humphrey just hadn’t shown him enough yet by the time the season started.

But it makes sense to roll with Humphrey. He has all the talent in the world, and in another season or two, he could be an All-America center. It feels like Humphrey’s physical advantage over Alvarez always was going to eventually outweigh Alvarez’s mental edge because Humphrey is a smart guy, too, and he is only going to get it more as time goes on.

I think it’s good that Oklahoma finally has a firm, set starting five on the offensive line. No matter what anyone says, it is definitely better to have a cohesive unit than one that is constantly changing — especially when the center is the one changing.

Do you think Mike Stoops will use Caleb Kelly on Saturday to disrupt Army’s Wishbone? I know they’re talking a redshirt but seems like he’s the perfect outside linebacker to disrupt Army’s attack. — G.W., Dallas

This is a good question, but I kind of doubt it, though. If Kelly didn’t play against Iowa State, it’s hard for me to imagine him playing against Army — a team that, despite the unique risks it poses, should be a relatively easy victory for the Sooners.

Kelly spent the entire offseason working as an inside linebacker. Yes, he has experience on the outside, but the Sooners have capable outside linebackers right now. I just can’t imagine that Kelly would be better than anyone else or that it would be worth moving him back to his old position just to play him in a game that OU should win.

If Oklahoma is serious about pursuing a possible redshirt for Kelly, he has two games left to play. I think it would be smarter to save those two games for some of the better teams OU will face down the road unless there is an injury or some other extenuating circ*mstance that forces Kelly into the game.

Kelly seems to love it at Oklahoma, and maybe this redshirt year is exactly what he needs. Maybe he will use it to get bigger and stronger, then step right into the Will linebacker spot next year when Curtis Bolton is gone. And if that’s going to happen, it makes all the sense in the world to preserve that year of eligibility for him.

Any truth to the rumor that when Mike Stoops accepted the Arizona job, an old crone arose from the muddy waters of Lake Thunderbird and cursed him and Brent Venables such that neither could thrive while the other found success? — Scott R., Richmond, Va.

I must admit, I laughed.

At some point, does it feel counterintuitive to continue to operate with a revolving door at the corner spot opposite Parnell Motley? Wouldn’t it be difficult to build continuity and get the necessary reps to truly track improvement? Certainly practice helps, given the Sooners’ wide receivers, but they don’t appear to have complete confidence in either Tre Norwood or Tre Brown at this point. Against better receiving corps on the schedule it seems imperative to settle on someone, at least by the end of the Baylor game, right? — Richard S., Phoenix

I think it obviously would be ideal to have two established cornerbacks who play pretty much the entire game by the Baylor game, sure. I also think it’s a bit of a unique situation because Norwood and Brown have done some good things. If there isn’t a clear guy at that spot, do you just pick one and roll with him? Or keep giving them a chance to earn the spot?

It was interesting to me that Norwood played pretty much the entire Iowa State game.

Here’s what defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said about Brown after practice Tuesday: “Tre is getting a lot of reps. We played Tre a lot in the first two games. He didn’t have a great week last week. He’ll definitely be in our rotation and we need to get him involved in what we’re doing. Just have to keep building consistency out there. I thought we were fundamentally not where we needed to be. We just need to keep pushing to get better. We’re going to get a lot of big, fast receivers, and we have to challenge them.”

Obviously, challenging a big, fast receiver was a big problem against Iowa State — but it wasn’t a problem for Norwood or Brown. That was Motley’s problem and I’m sure he learned a lot from his struggles against the Cyclones’ Hakeem Butler.

That’s just something Oklahoma has to continue to figure out. I would say that for now, OU is OK to continue working to find the right two-guy combo. But you’re right: At some point, you want to have two guys and just roll with them.

Why does Mike Stoops stick with guys instead of making a change for a series? Don’t give me a continuity answer. (Kahlil) Haughton is not good and seems to always be late to the play. Where’s (Robert) Barnes? Motley is who we thought he was. Tre Brown seems like an absolute difference-maker and he got, what, four or five snaps? Everyone else played well, and I like watching (Amani) Bledsoe play. But Motley cannot tackle and neither can Haughton because he is always too late. — Alex H., Little Rock, Ark.

I already kind of answered the questions about the corners, so I’ll try to go with the other stuff. Haughton has had some trouble, there’s no doubt about it. Barnes was injured and didn’t suit up for the UCLA game, so maybe there’s something lingering there. I’m a little curious about what’s going on with Jordan Parker, the former four-star prospect who started as a freshman at cornerback but moved to safety this offseason.

I honestly thought Parker would start, but that obviously hasn’t been the case.
Barnes is listed as Haughton’s backup at free safety on the depth chart, so maybe he eventually will step into that role if Haughton doesn’t improve.

How concerned are you about the poor tackling? Plus, what has happened with Jordan Parker, Caleb Kelly and Levi Draper not getting any playing time? Stoops seems set on certain players, regardless of how they play, and doesn’t seem to substitute in a timely manner, either. — Dwain R., Idabel, Okla.

I do think the missed tackles are a concern, no doubt about it. But I also want to see how they improve before I judge too much after one bad game. The Sooners tackled well against Florida Atlantic and UCLA, and Iowa State’s David Montgomery and Hakeem Butler present unique challenges.

Still, it definitely has to be a concern considering that tackling has been a problem in recent years — really, since Mike Stoops returned to Norman in 2012. I completely understand why fans would be frustrated by the Iowa State performance, but I do also think maybe the fans should wait another week or two to see how it improves.

I’d encourage you to read my weekly game breakdown with former OU All-America linebacker Teddy Lehman. He addressed the tackling issue in what I thought was an interesting way.

Should I be worried about the run game without Rodney Anderson? I know the numbers have been pretty good, but it didn’t feel like a good game on the ground against either Iowa State or UCLA. — Patrick, Philadelphia

I don’t think you have anything to be too worried about. There were going to be some growing pains after Anderson’s injury, but I think Sermon played well against Iowa State and is only going to get better. Marcelias Sutton probably isn’t a No. 1 running back for this team, but he can do some things in a reserve role. I would expect freshman T.J. Pledger to become more involved as the season progresses. He’s too talented and has too important a skillset to keep on the bench moving forward, although I do understand why Lincoln Riley probably wants to ease him into more and more playing time.

I was a little surprised that redshirt freshman Kennedy Brooks didn’t appear at all against Iowa State. Here’s what Riley had to say when asked about Brooks earlier this week:

“Very close. Very close. I think you saw kind of how the running back deal went last year, then all of a sudden, somebody broke through. I don’t know who it’s going to be. I’m sure at some point we’ll have somebody just really break through and completely take the thing over. Those guys are talented. Him and Pledger, there’s some things we’ve seen that you guys haven’t seen with them yet that gets you pretty excited. So they’ve got to continue to grow. But Kennedy’s been one of our most explosive runners here behind the scenes for a while, so I’ll be excited when his opportunity comes.”

Pro Football Focus showed that of Sermon’s 74 yards against Iowa State, 63 were after contact. What can OU do to solidify its line for the running game? — Payton G.

Interesting question. Bedenbaugh was asked specifically about this earlier this week.

“Obviously, it helps,” Bedenbaugh said of Sermon’s ability to break tackles in the backfield. “But obviously you don’t want it to happen.”

I think having a set, firm starting line now with Humphrey at center probably will help some. This is a line that is still growing together and has some pieces playing new positions. I honestly wouldn’t worry about the line. As long as Bedenbaugh is the offensive line coach, OU is going to be fine in that department, even if it takes them a couple more weeks to reach their full potential.

I watched an uber-aggressive Oklahoma State defense completely discombobulate a decent Boise State offense on Saturday. I don’t think OSU suddenly recruited a bunch of five-star defenders. Is this what a new DC can bring to the table? Is there some sort of agreement between Bob and Lincoln that Mike gets to stay on no matter how bad the defense plays? — James S., Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Jim Knowles was a great hire for Oklahoma State, and he obviously has made a positive impact. But considering how things have gone so far this season — the missed tackles at Iowa State notwithstanding — I think it’s important to be patient with Stoops here. I know the last thing some fans want to hear is to “be patient” with Stoops, who has been back at Oklahoma since 2012. But this is a talented unit that seems to be more assignment-sound than it was in recent years. This Army game will be a big test in that department.

I don’t want to overreact since Iowa State is probably a decent team, but it was frustrating to see the Cyclones get 5-yard runs and 12-yard passes whenever they wanted, against a defense that’s supposed to have elite talent. What went wrong, and how can it improve before the next test? — Michael H., Ypsilanti, Mich.

I think some of that — as I mentioned above — is because of Montgomery and Butler. Those guys are both NFL talents.

Still, I understand your frustration. I guess what I would say is, as I’ve said in another answer or two, it’s OK to still be patient with this group. They are young and still learning. They are going to make some mistakes, but generally speaking, these guys were in the right position and looked really good in the first two games.

Does Rodney Anderson declare for the draft next year or stay, risk injury and potentially improve his draft position? — Travis W., Elk City, Okla.

I don’t think we’ll know for sure until much later this season or maybe even January. But my gut says he’s going to give the NFL a go after this season. It’s probably smart for him to try to make as much money as he can now — while he still can. If he comes back next season, he certainly could improve his draft position with a big season, but he could also destroy any chance of an NFL career if he gets hurt again.

I’m sure it won’t be an easy decision, but getting healed up and starting his pro career next spring seems like the smart move.

(Top photo by Mark D. Smith/ USA TODAY Sports)