Oklahoma Spring Review: Corners Possess Blend of Experience and Youthful Talent

With a year under Jay Valai and an offseason of growth, the Sooners' cornerback room could finally be a position of strength.

With spring practice in the past and the NCAA Transfer Portal spring window now closed, it’s the ideal time to assess the Oklahoma roster heading into summer.

AllSooners has compiled a 10-part series, position by position, reviewing the Sooners’ spring and where that position goes from here.

Cornerback

It’s no secret that Oklahoma’s secondary has left much to be desired over the last few seasons. When Brent Venables was brought in as the team’s head coach, he was supposed to solve a lot of those issues.

As last season showed, it was always going to take more than one offseason to fix.

After a bumpy first-year under Venables, Oklahoma’s defense looks much more experienced and ready to contribute in year two. On paper, the secondary looks to be in a solid spot across the board. If Jay Valai’s cornerbacks can compliment the loaded safety room, it might just be one of the best secondaries the Sooners have had in the last ten years — although that might not be saying too much.

“It’s a growing room,” Valai said this Spring. “A hungry room. A malnourished room. These guys are working on their own, see them working in the back on their own. It’s great to have that type of mindset and culture in the room. The whole group."

For More Spring Reviews

• Offensive Line Needs Numbers and Some Good Luck
• LBs Performed Well, But It's Clear More Depth is Needed
• RBs Had Some Setbacks, Some Growth
• Defensive Line Could Now be a Strength
• Depth at Safety Could Be a Point of Strength
• Wide Receiver Could be a Make or Break Position

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Oklahoma lost C.J. Coldon, who came on strong towards the end of the year, but brings back a unique group of experienced players and talented prospects. Coldon’s departure to the NFL stings, but the Sooners have the pieces to be solid.

In addition to Coldon, Jaden Davis was a late add to the transfer portal in the spring, committing to the Miami Hurricanes. His departure leaves the door open for one of the talented youngsters to step up and take advantage of open playing time.

“We have a really good group of guys that are hungry," Valai said. "It’s a good group, hungry group. They want to be elite. A lot of guys in that room were used to being the ‘but’ and then go from the ‘but’ to the ‘and’ and to the ‘why.’ If you want to be great, go get your hands dirty and go work.”

Last fall, the Sooners ranked 119th nationally in passing yards allowed, checking in near the very worst in college football. Oklahoma’s total defense was good for No. 122 in the country and was all out of sorts during most games down the stretch. When the injuries began to pile up, things went from bad to worse in a hurry.

The Sooners return redshirt senior Woodi Washington, who will certainly be one of the defense’s main leaders on the field. He could’ve declared for the draft or found a new home in the transfer portal, but the Sooners got a big win keeping him around. 

In addition to Washington, Gentry Williams saw serious playing time as a true freshman and impressed down the stretch. His improvement and development heading into year two will be key for this group.

“We’ve been through it,” Valai said. “Been through those struggles before. I remember my first year at Georgia, we lost five or six games. Then in year two, we went to the natty. I’ve been through that, too. Once culture sets in and guys really invest in themselves and understand the opportunities that are bestowed upon them to work and grind and go get it and get that fire going from their chest.

“This is the same game you’ve played since you’ve been 7 years old. To be blessed with the opportunity and to not attack it is disrespectful to everything that was given to you by God and your family. These guys have a different mindset. They’re hungry.”

Washington wasn’t able to reach his full potential in 2022, and part of that was due to his ability to play every position in the secondary. When anyone went down, he would be the one to slide over — even if it was on a week’s notice. He never truly settled into his role as the lead corner and always seemed to be trying to make up for his teammates.

With 23 starts under his belt, Washington is penciled in as an impact player on Oklahoma’s defense and the corner that can stick with the opposing team’s best receiver. He’ll take on the Sooners’ challenges on the outside — and with a big year, Washington could play his way into a late-round draft pick. He recorded 67 tackles and six pass break-ups a season ago to go along with one interception.

“He’s talking about the details, details in the craft,” Valai said. “If you want to be an elite player, football is a game of inches. Inch equals efficiency. The more detailed you are on your craft – pre-snap, post-snap, red zone, third-and-1, understanding what is going on is the biggest separator. Look at Woodi, where he was. I told him right to his face. I always have those real conversations.

“Woodi in the first five games, solid football player, good, average. In the last five games, he really turned it up. You can see him turn it up. Woodi, C.J., Jaden, when they played Iowa State, they all turned it up. Those are also the guys that are up there all the time on their own and focusing on the details. You get out of it what you put into it. Simple as that.”

Williams will continue to help out his younger counterpart in Williams, who could slot in as the other starter at corner with a big summer. Oklahoma has options, too, but Williams was too talented to keep on the sidelines a season ago.

A consensus 4-star prospect, he played in 12 games and totaled seven tackles and an interception. The expectations are certainly bigger in 2023, and Williams is expected to be an instant contributor in Venables’ defense.

“To me it was everything, having Gentry play,” Valai said. “I mean he could have redshirted, could have done this. The number one thing we wanted to do is have Gentry play so he gets those reps. Time on task. He's not gonna flinch. He played well at Oklahoma State. He was ready for West Virginia. He's going to be ready in the fall and once again Gentry started off, came in at 164 (pounds). And he's 185. I mean the kid's doing 250 pushups every single night. He has a high level of want to and elite speed and focused.

“It's like back in the day when guys used to do math champs and be like '81!' And Gentry's like, ask the questions. Answer it. And Gentry, I love his personality and just who he is as a person. And his athletic ability is a plus on top of it on top of that too. But he's gonna be ready. I know that much.”

The Sooners added experience to the room in Kendel Dolby, who was rated the No. 1 junior college corner in the nation. Dolby totaled 68 tackles, six tackles for loss, two interceptions, one sack and eight pass breakups in two seasons at Northeastern A&M. In addition, he was named the Southwest Junior College Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. His addition gives Oklahoma added depth and a potential key contributor, and he had a strong spring and a solid spring game.

“Makes me hungrier for sure,” Dolby said regarding the juco route. “I feel like I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. Being a juco dude, going into my junior year, I feel like I got a lot to prove and I’ve got to do it fast and make a name. That’s kind of my goal. So, definitely got a chip on my shoulder and it makes me hungry.”

The Sooners also added multiple potential contributors through Venables’ sixth-ranked recruiting class. Despite the down year on the field, Oklahoma managed to sign one of the best classes in recent memory.

Both Jasiah Wagoner and Makari Vickers have a chance to be big-time players over the course of their careers in Norman, and could see playing time right away. If nothing else, being here for spring ball allowed the duo to provide true depth to Valai’s corner room and give the Sooners different options if things go south. A season ago, Oklahoma simply had to ride it out with very little depth at the position. That’s no longer the case.

“I really like our young corners,” Venables said. “Makari has been really good and learning. You’ve got to get beat. You’ve got to make some mistakes. You’ve got to get beat so you learn. And the precision in college is better than the precision typically in high school, just like the precision in the NFL is better than what it is in college. And so learning what you can and can’t get away with.

“Jasiah Wagoner — we’ve got a little bit of a pull on his hip flexor but he’s been fantastic. Not real big right now but he plays really big. Really understands football. Loves to compete. He’s got a great mindset, a great attitude. Those guys are really competitive at corner.”

The two youngsters have made an early impression on the coaching staff and could be in line for immediate playing time if the big plays in practice continue.

“Pit bull,” Valai said when asked about Wagoner. “He's a pit bull in everything he does every aspect of his life. And he doesn't flinch. One thing, he has electric feet. He's not the biggest guy in the world but he's getting bigger. He's already put on eight pounds as it is. He's really quick. Really efficient.

“I can still hear him in the background, him and Makari Vickers still working over there and everybody else is gone right now. And that's what you want to have. Like I said, intrinsically motivated guys like that is what you need to have to be elite. And from places I've been, the growth from these guys is going to be elite.”

The sleeper in the room could be Jayden Rowe, who was a talented 4-star recruit from Union High School in Tulsa. Rowe saw action in just three games a season ago and has been dealing with injuries on and off since joining the Sooners. At 6-foot-2, 211 pounds, he has ideal size to play the position and is one of the fastest players on the team. He grew into the position this spring and routinely put in extra reps after practice. If he can stay healthy, his impact will certainly be felt.

Rowe was in the same class as Williams, but wasn’t able to break onto the scene quite like his fellow Tulsa cornerback. If he’s finally healthy in the summer though, he can hit the ground running and contribute to Venables’ hard-hitting defense.

“Yeah, injuries were tough,” Valai said of Rowe. “But once again, he’s a freak athlete. And he knows, 'Once I get down the details I'm 6-3, 230 and I ran a 10.38, that's pretty good.' And once he understands the details and understands when to be fast, when to control my speed, when to get my foot placement right, keep my feet inside my cylinder, or I gotta say Madden circle or whatever the kids nowadays like using.

“But just understanding the details of the craft. Jayden's gonna be a great player. I can't wait to get him back. And he may be another guy over there (with Vickers and Wagoner) — he is another guy over there right now too. Just love having guys that have that want to. He was at home sending me videos of him working out and grinding and working. He's got a great family at home too. And the kid's a hard worker. I can't wait to get him back out here ASAP.”

Lastly, Kani Walker is a player that could find a way onto the field after appearing in six games a season ago. At 6-2, 196 pounds, he gives the Sooners another bigger body on the outside against any physical wide receivers. He played a little as a freshman Louisville and had a hard time cracking the lineup last year after transferring.

But like many of his teammates, Walker got his opportunities in spring ball and got better.

“We know 6-7 ain’t good enough,” Valai said. “We all know it ain’t good enough. I didn’t come to Oklahoma for 6-7, especially playing in the natty the year before I got here. It’s a blessing to be here and can’t wait to go prove it on the football field.”

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