For Oklahoma DB Mykel Patterson-McDonald, Patience and Work Ethic are the Key

A shoulder injury changed his path for the spring, but Brent Venables says the Sooners' versatile and intelligent safety already fits the scheme well.

NORMAN — Mykel Patterson-McDonald said he “can’t wait” to get to Oklahoma and start practicing with his new Sooner teammates.

But he’s in no real hurry.

Patterson-McDonald will arrive in Norman next June as a summer enrollee because, between now and then, he’ll be rehabbing a shoulder injury.

“I have to get surgery on my shoulder,” he told AllSooners, “so I’ll be getting that done and recovery and getting ready for the season.”

He added that his first goal as a college football player will be “trying to learn the playbook and get into it as much as I can so I’m not too far behind when I get up there.”

Behind or not when summer training starts next year, two things weigh in Patterson-McDonald’s favor: he’s a quick study, and coach Brent Venables thinks he fits his system already.

“Mykel Patterson-McDonald had a fantastic senior year,” Venables said. “Really disruptive safety that can do a lot of the things that we like to do with our safeties.”

Patterson-McDonald said one of his strengths is the academic side of the game, the learning, the studying, the understanding of concepts and objectives.

“I’m very smart,” he said. “I learn stuff quick. I catch on to a lot of stuff that a lot of others don’t.”

Having self-awareness can be a skill, too. Patterson-McDonald uses it to identify what he thinks might be his biggest weakness as a young player.

“Sometimes I just fly in,” he said. “Sometimes I don’t think about it, I just fly in. Some of the time that can be good, some of the time that can be bad.”

Making mistakes at full speed is something most college football coaches are willing to forgive — or at least use as an effective teaching tool.

The teaching element is something his players like about Venables.

“He’s an amazing coach,” Patterson-McDonald said. “He’s very passionate. He loves what he does. He’s about everybody. He’s there for everybody. He’s an amazing coach. Just watching him at practice, watching him in action and how much he’s involved in the practice … I’m looking forward to it. Can’t wait.”

Likewise, Patterson-McDonald is looking forward to being coached by OU safeties coach Brandon Hall and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai. He said his relationship with them has “evolved a lot. At first, for instance, when I first got to meet coach Hall and coach Valai, it was little talk. But now as time goes on, it’s big talk. We text, we have good conversations. I go up and watch practice and everything is good. It’s been great.”

For competitive athletes, staying patient as a freshman might be a challenge.

“Not necessarily hard,” Patterson-McDonald said, “but it’s gonna be a process. You always gotta stay patient.”

That’s another reason why he’s willing to take his time and not rush into college football like he might rush into a tackle on the field.

“My goals for my freshman season are giving it all I’ve got,” he said. “I don’t expect to come in and be handed anything. You’ve got to earn everything you’ve got. And playing with the players I’m playing behind, as in Billy Bowman and Peyton Bowen, some great players. So looking up to them and knowing I got somebody to look up to that will help me with anything I need.

“I just feel like I can come in and outwork a lot of people that’s there already, because I know my work ethic.”

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Patterson-McDonald was a Rivals 4-star prospect, while 247 Sports, On3 and ESPN had him rated as a 3-star. Rivals ranked him as the nation's 36th-best high school safety and the No. 2 overall player in the state of Oklahoma. 

As a senior in 2023, Patterson-McDonald logged 62 solo tackles, 14 passes defense and one interception and was named District 6A-1 Defensive back of the Year. As a junior, he made 53 solo tackles, two forced fumbles and three interceptions. His sophomore year, he had 30 solo tackles, two interceptions and 12 PBUs.

A versatile athlete, Patterson-McDonald also played wide receiver and running back at Westmoore and ran track, where he posted a 22.67 in the 200 meters and a 21-9 in the long jump.

His father, Larry McDonald, was once a walk-on at OU. Patterson-McDonald chose the Sooners over Houston, Iowa State, Missouri and others.

"MPM" is one of seven defensive backs the Sooners signed last week — guys with whom he’s built a good relationship already, guys he communicates with regularly in a group chat. Most of those seven will arrive in Norman in January and be part of spring practice.

“Being able to compete with them is gonna be good,” Patterson-McDonald said. “Because it’s nothing but work. We’re all teammates and we all need to make each other better.”