Oklahoma 2024 Report Cards: Todd Bates' Defensive Tackles Proved to be SEC Ready

The interior of Oklahoma's defensive line was one of the strengths of the entire team in 2024.

Oklahoma defensive tackle Damonic Williams / Kevin Jairaj / IMAGN Images

A lot of Oklahoma’s defensive improvements in 2024 can be credited to the work Todd Bates did developing his defensive tackle room. 

The Sooners finished the regular season ranked 11th nationally in rushing defense, an improvement from when OU finished the 2023 regular season ranked 58th against the run.

Bates got the best football out of veteran Da’Jon Terry, Gracen Halton, TCU transfer Damonic Williams and true freshman Jayden Jackson to create a formidable spine of the defense when paired with Brent Venables and Zac Alley’s linebackers. 

Terry played the best football of his career, finishing with 22 total tackles, five tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks in his return to the SEC after playing two seasons at Tennessee in 2021 and 2022. 

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Oklahoma 2024 Report Cards

* Dec. 30: Special teams
* Dec. 31: Defensive tackle
* Jan. 1: Running back
* Jan. 2: Defensive end
* Jan. 3: Offensive line
* Jan. 4: Linebacker
* Jan. 5: Tight end
* Jan. 6: Cornerback
* Jan. 7: Wide receiver
* Jan. 8: Safety
* Jan. 9: Quarterback
* Jan. 10: Coaches

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Williams finished with a career-high 35 total tackles, five tackles for loss and a sack. 

Then Bates had a pair of breakout linemen. 

Halton, who had combined for 21 total tackles and five tackles for loss in his first two years with the Sooners, outdid both of those marks. 

He was one of OU’s most explosive linemen off the snap, and he tallied 30 tackles, six tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. 

Oklahoma defensive end R Mason Thomas (32) and defensive tackle Gracen Halton (56) / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Halton’s speed and finesse was matched by power from Jackson. 

The true freshman made waves from the jump, becoming one of the few true freshman to ever start the season-opener at defensive tackle in the history of Oklahoma football. 

And Jackson didn’t disappoint. He chipped in another 30 tackles, three tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. 

The Sooners averaged 7.7 tackles for loss per game, which currently ranks 10th nationally among FBS team, and most of that work was down to the linemen up front. 

Finally, the Sooners had the versatility to roll out different looks as well. 

Terry, Williams and Jackson held up so well that Venables and Alley were able to move to odd fronts at times — a formation in which the Sooners were gashed over and over again in 2022 when Venables first tried to dip into his full defensive playbook.

The work on the interior of the line, paired with the abilities of Ethan Downs and Trace Ford off the edge, meant OU’s defensive front was pliable to take on the different challenges posed by all the offenses in the SEC. 

No performance was more impressive than what the entire defensive line did in the Sooners’ upset over Alabama. 

OU held the Crimson Tide to just 70 rushing yards in the 24-3 win, and while the efforts of the interior of the line didn’t always show up in the box score, Bates’ unit was disruptive and generated enough knock-back to spoil the game plan for Jalen Milroe’s crew. 

Williams, Halton and Jackson are all set to return in 2025, as well as former 5-star recruit David Stone, who battled injuries in his true freshman season. That experience should provide a strong foundation for Venables’ team next year. 

Outside of Halton, the defensive tackles didn’t provide a premier pass rush, but that’s a minor nitpick to one of Oklahoma’s strongest units in 2024. 

Sooners on SI Grade: A-