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Oklahoma Lands CB From Transfer Portal

Dez Malone earned All-Mountain West accolades in 2023 each of the last two seasons at San Diego State.

Randall Sweet

Oklahoma Lands CB From Transfer Portal
Oklahoma Lands CB From Transfer Portal /
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On Sunday morning, Oklahoma strengthened its defensive back room, picking up a commitment from veteran cornerback Dezjhon Malone.

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Listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Malone has good size and started 12 games for the Aztecs this season, earning Mountain West Honorable Mention honors for the second consecutive year. In two seasons, he has made 23 consecutive starts.

Since entering the portal, Malone had also picked up offers from Louisville, Houston, West Virginia, Purdue and Michigan State.

With the Sooners losing multiple defensive backs to graduation and the transfer portal in addition to cornerback being one of the weak spots on OU's 2023 roster due to recurring injuries to Gentry Williams and Kani Walker, Jay Valai and company needed to add more depth at corner before heading into the SEC next season.

Senior Woodi Washington is expected to leave for the NFL, leaving the Sooners with three experienced players behind Williams and Walker who got playing time as true freshmen in 2023: Makari Vickers, Jasaiah Wagoner and Jacobe Johnson. Junior college transfer Kendel Dolby played cornerback this season as well, logging valuable snaps at slot corner/cheetah linebacker. Sophomore Jayden Rowe is coming off a knee injury and could be ready to compete in spring practice.

As a redshirt junior in 2023, Malone recorded 49 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, seven pass breakups, one interception and one forced fumble. In 2022, Malone had 45 tackles and grabbed three interceptions according to Pro Football Focus. In two seasons, he made 86 tackles.

Malone played 692 snaps on defense this season, second on the team, according to PFF, and posted an overall PFF grade of 71.8, including 71.9 in coverage. He got 627 snaps at corner, allowed only 286 total yards receiving in 2023, a completion percentage of just 48.1 on 52 targets, and an NFL efficiency rating of just 63.5. Also, Malone missed just nine tackles all season. 

On 53 targets in 2022, Malone's opponents completion percentage was 56.6 and his efficiency rating was 61.7. 

In two seasons as the Aztecs' starter, he played 1,150 snaps, allowed just 55 receptions (only three TDs) and missed just 17 tackles.

Hailing from Fresno, CA, the same hometown as former Sooners’ linebacker and current S.O.U.L Mission Director Caleb Kelly, Malone was a 3-star recruit.

The talented defensive back is Oklahoma’s second addition of the cycle through the transfer portal, as OU landed a commitment from former Michigan State offensive lineman Spencer Brown earlier this week.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. 

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