Players Say Oklahoma Will Be at a 'New Level' With Strength Coach Jerry Schmidt

OU's recent track record of fading in the fourth quarter is expected to be something Schmidt addresses with his grueling offseason workouts.

Forget what you heard on social media. The horror stories are real.

Jerry Schmidt is back as Oklahoma’s strength and conditioning coach — the Sooners have their own private drill instructor — and it’s going to be a living hell.

“Really, no horror stories,” said running back Kennedy Brooks. “He’s going to put them to work.”

Schmidt was Bob Stoops’ right-hand man from 1999 to 2017. He was actually Stoops’ very first hire, coming with him from Florida in December 1998. Schmidt spends more time coaching and shaping young men than either the head coach or their position coaches, so the position — director of sports enhancement and strength and conditioning, officially — is of utmost importance to a college football program.

Jerry Schmidt / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

After Lincoln Riley had Schmidt for the 2017 season, he opted to replace him with Bennie Wylie. Schmidt landed immediately at Texas A&M. The Aggies had averaged 7.2 wins from 2002 to 2016, and in four seasons of Schmitty offseason, they averaged 8.5.

Now, he'll be Brent Venables' right-hand man and offseason assassin.

Brooks was a wide-eyed freshman when Schmidt enjoyed his final year of exquisite torture at OU in 2017. He said Friday during a Zoom press conference that he’s all in for the Sooners’ Alamo Bowl game against Oregon on Dec. 29, but isn’t ready yet to announce his plans beyond that.

There’s every possibility Brooks, a fifth-year senior with a COVID year of eligibility if he wants it, leaves for the NFL.

If he chooses to come back, he’ll be training one more time under the man they call Schmitty. Whether he plays for OU or not next year, Brooks can testify that the 2022 Sooners will be tougher.

“I love Schmitty,” Brooks said. “My freshman year, he put all of us to work, the freshmen. We all got better from it.”

Most of the current players might not have lived the torment, but they heard about it firsthand.

“Yeah, definitely heard a lot about his his conditioning every single day,” said linebacker DaShaun White. “I mean, I think I came here, I believe it's the year after he had left, so just hearing about all those stories my freshman year. You hear about all the stories through the years from guys that come back. Obviously, whenever the world figured out that he was coming here and all the stories on Twitter still.”

OU hasn’t had a great track record in recent years for closing out teams in the fourth quarter. Critics pointed to the offseason strength and conditioning program for coming up short.

“I’ve definitely heard stories about him, things he’s put players through,” said wide receiver Marvin Mims, “and I think he’s going to push this program to a new level, definitely — especially the players on this team. I think it’s going to build us to a mental strength that we’ve never really been to before, I’m pretty sure. I’m looking forward to it. I say that now then I’m in the middle of a workout, I’ll probably be dying, probably be hurting and all that type of stuff but it’ll be good for us in the long run.”

“Yeah,” Brooks said, “it’s gonna suck when you’re doing it. But at the end of the day, you’re gonna appreciate it. He’s a great coach. I love him.”

Said White, “He's going to be able to to take this program to another level.”