How Kobie McKinzie's Maturity Earned Him a Starting Spot in Oklahoma's Defense

Sooners' linebacker Kobie McKinzie made his first career start against Tulane and will play a big role for OU's defense moving forward.

Kobie McKinzie (11) runs drills during an OU football practice in Norman, Okla., on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

NORMAN — Just a week before one of Oklahoma's biggest contests in years, redshirt sophomore linebacker Kobie McKinzie made his first collegiate start.

A former 4-star recruit hailing from Lubbock, TX, McKinzie played sparingly during his first year on campus, but earned a spot in the Sooners' rotation during his redshirt freshman season.

After Jaren Kanak was one of the team's mainstays at linebacker in 2023, McKinzie and Kip Lewis began to overtake the Hays, KS, product, earning more time on the field as the season progressed.

Following his increased role as a redshirt freshman, McKinzie seemed poised for an even bigger campaign in 2024 after an offseason working with new defensive coordinator Zac Alley.

Early in the year, McKinzie's offseason improvements have shown on the field, as the hard-hitting linebacker earned his first career start against Tulane. McKinzie had a solid performance and helped Oklahoma's defense hold the Green Wave to 13 points, earning praise for his play from Sooners' coach Brent Venables.

"A couple of guys made their first starts tonight - Logan Howland, Zion Ragins, Gracen Halton, Kobie McKinzie. They all did some really good things," Venables said on Saturday. "Gracen and Kobie both had really good nights."

Even after coming to Norman as a coveted recruit with a solid skill set, McKinzie has developed into a more all-around defender since arriving on campus.

The Lubbock Cooper (TX) product was a strong, hard-hitting linebacker when he began his career under Venables, but has since developed great foot speed, play recognition, block deconstruction skills, and pass coverage acumen.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 242 pounds, McKinzie's size, natural skill set and rapid mental growth since coming to OU have helped the redshirt sophomore earn a significant role in Alley's defense during a pivotal year for Oklahoma.

McKinzie's head coach has taken notice of the process, saying that the standout linebacker's support system has helped him become a key contributor to the Sooners' defense.

"I bet you one of the things he might say, he’s got (an) amazing family so they give him great support," Venables said on Tuesday. "Instead of peppering him with negative seeds like, ‘Maybe you need to go somewhere else. You need to start over.’ Really just supporting him and, ‘Hey man hang in there. This is part of the growth. You’ll be alright.’"

And then his teammates. I like to say it’s a lot of encouragement from his coaches, but teammates are the one to me that have been patient with him, have helped him think the right way, nurtured his development process. ‘Hey man let’s go watch film together.’ And Kobie’s an incredibly mature guy. He’s a self-starter. He’s self-driven. He doesn’t need anybody else to show him where to turn the machine on. He’s a very driven, consistent young man that just has a lot of really good habits that have helped expedite his growth and development too over the course of a couple of years. But he would tell you his teammates have been probably his place where he’d call his sanctuary. They’ve helped him have the right perspective along the way so that he can go right back at it even when he’s not getting the results that he wants."

McKinzie's emergence is huge for Venables and company, as the third year player should have a least one more season in Crimson and Cream before departing from Norman. With Danny Stutsman likely headed to the NFL next year, McKinzie will be one of the team's top defenders and would be a shoo-in to start at linebacker.

McKinzie's skill set makes him an ideal fit for life in the SEC, as the physical, downhill defender has the strength to take on blockers in run defense and the athleticism to cover slot receivers and tight ends in the short and intermediate areas of the field.

After playing 161 defensive snaps last year, according to Pro Football Focus, McKinzie has already logged 91 defensive snaps this season. The West Texas native played a season-high 43 snaps against Tulane and will likely see this number increase as the Sooners' wade into SEC competition.

With the Volunteers' high-powered offense coming to the Sooner State this weekend, McKinzie and OU's defense will have to put on its best performance of the season to give Oklahoma a chance at upsetting the No. 6-ranked team in the nation.

MORE: Oklahoma Submits First SEC Availability Report for Tennessee Contest

Led by former 5-star quarterback prospect Nico Iamaleava and standout running back Dylan Sampson, the Sooners will be tasked with trying to slow down one of the best offenses in college football on Saturday in OU's first-ever SEC contest.

If McKinzie and company can slow down Tennessee's rushing attack, Oklahoma should have a much better chance at taking down former Sooners' signal caller Josh Heupel and company.