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OU will 'hang a banner' because of Nik Bonitto's dedication, work ethic, athleticism
One week, Nik Bonitto is thrown onto the bottom of an all-conference list. An afterthought. A participation award. Honorable mention.
The next week, one of college football’s most respected purveyor of analytics and NFL projections declares Bonitto as an All-American and the highest-graded pass rusher in the nation and the game’s third-best since 2014.
“I guess it speaks to just how the quality of defenses that are in the Big 12 now,” said Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, “for someone like that to not even be on the first or second team, the standard must have gone up exponentially in the last 12 months.”
Bonitto’s evolution as one of college football elite pass rushers is remarkable. His position hasn’t changed — rush linebacker — but his responsibilities have. As a redshirt freshman in 2019, Bonitto was essentially an outside linebacker: sometimes he would rush the quarterback, sometimes he would drop into coverage, and on handoffs he would look for his run fit.
Remember his game-clinching interception last year at Baylor?
Not that he didn’t drop into coverage in 2020. But it certainly was unusual if he did. Bonitto has made his name by getting to the quarterback — he did it 7.5 times this season, or 0.83 per game. That ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference and 17th in the nation.
But his sack rate and pressure rate — the amount of pressure he creates versus the number of times he’s actually tasked with doing it — is tops in all of college football.
“Bonitto was a true hybrid backer in 2019, playing almost as many coverage snaps (171) as pass-rush snaps (131),” PFF wrote. “However, Bonitto saw more pass-rush opportunities in 2020, and the transition paid dividends. The Oklahoma edge rusher was a force in every single game this season, finishing first among qualifying FBS edge defenders in pass-rush grade, pass-rush win rate and pressure rate generated.”
And that has changed the very face of the Oklahoma defense. With Bonitto on one edge and Ronnie Perkins on the other, opposing quarterbacks have less time than ever to throw the football. That makes life exponentially easier for the Sooner defensive backs.
“The thing that stands out to me about Nik Bonitto the most,” said defensive end/tackle Isaiah Thomas, “is his dedication off the game field to his pass rushing and his game technique on the practice field. You can see throughout practice how he works on different moves during pass rushes or during, like, team settings on different scenarios we have.
“His attention to detail when it comes to being an impact player on big plays, it definitely stands out to me. You can see it on game days. On third downs, he's the lead off the edge with different types of repertoire (and) moves.”
Bonitto’s dedication to the craft of rushing the quarterback hasn’t gone unnoticed in the OU camp. For instance, running back Rhamondre Stevenson has been frequently asked to block Bonitto during practice the last two seasons, and Stevenson has watched his growth.
“I think it was just little things he (had) to sharpen up on to just take his game to the next level,” Stevenson said. “And I think he did that. He's doing a tremendous job.”
Said Bonitto, “I just want to be a more complete player. I feel like I still have a lot to do when it comes to pass rushing and being a factor in the run game and just really getting stronger and just having more knowledge on the football field, just being more aware of everybody's job and how I can make an impact in certain plays. And just being more of a force, I feel like. I feel like that's where I really have to improve at.”
Bonitto credited his new position coach, Jamar Cain, for helping him take his game to another level.
“Coach Cain, since day one, you know, I've told you guys a million times, he's come in and made a huge impact on our group,” Bonitto said. “He's taught us the fundamentals on certain things and trying to get us better at our craft. We've had different guys in our position room, like Perk (Ronnie Perkins) and Jon (Michael Terry) always trying to push me and get me better at my craft, along with themselves as well. It's just been a collective effort from everybody.”
It’s why Oklahoma leads the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally with 3.8 quarterback sacks per game.
Perkins called it a “tag team” effort between he and Bonitto.
“A lot of stuff with Nik is athleticism, man,” Perkins said. “He was a former basketball player, so he's a real athletic dude just as a defensive end.
“It also takes a lot of hard work. Working with coach Cain this offseason, working with him through fall camp, listening to coaching points. To take those steps in his game, he definitely elevated himself to a top player and a top rusher in college.”
Thomas said it was “inspiring” to watch Bonitto’s surge this season.
“We see it as a race to the quarterback,” Thomas said. “And Nik Bonitto definitely is second-to-none, in my opinion, in the Big 12 when it comes to getting to the quarterback with a different array of moves, whether that's making an inside move and framing up off the edge, or if that's having the middle be open and have him coming off the edge. I'd say his dedication to detail, to getting to the quarterback.”
As No. 6-ranked Oklahoma prepares for Wednesday’s Cotton Bowl showdown with No. 7 Florida, Bonitto — a product of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale — revealed this week he grew up a fan of the Gators.
“I always wanted to go there since I was a kid,” he said. “It was me and my dad's dream school. But that was really in the past, and I'm an OU football player now.”
For that, Grinch is glad.
“He's a guy that has come as far as anybody,” Grinch said. “ … I think the biggest thing that you've seen over the last year is a guy that isn't hanging onto that thin rope that is potential. (He’s) a guy that's throwing work at it, a guy that has raised his expectations, obviously understands the defense, all that stuff, the game slows down.
“Without question, all those things take place in a second-year guy, especially as many reps as he took a year ago. But you also just see a guy committed to playing at a certain level.
“I’m glad some people noticed, because certainly, we notice,” Grinch said. “And we'll hang a banner in our indoor (facility) because of guys like Nik and the performance that he had.”
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