It’s the final week of Oklahoma spring practice, meaning it’s been a month for those 26 newcomers to make some sort of impression.

Who would know them better than their position coaches? Here’s a rundown of what the position coaches have said about the new guys in their room.

Jeff Lebby – Quarterback

Expectations remain incredibly high for freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold. He continues to adjust to the college game and being a college student, but all reactions say his first month of practices have been just fine.

“You don’t have one-on-one football meetings nonstop like we do right now with him so the fact that he’s come in and he’s picked everything up and he’s worked incredibly hard … he’s spent a ton of time in the building on his own. He understands what it means to be the guy here and understands what it is going to take for him to get to that point. He’s spent a lot of time and has done a good job in there, which has been good to see.”

DeMarco Murray – Running back

Murray brought in some different skill sets among his backs for the 2023 class, and it sounds like Kalib Hicks has taken to everything very quickly.

“It’s just how fast and how explosive he is. He obviously has a thick, lower body. Great kid. He’s young. We just have to get him fundamentally technical. That side of things, we have to get him squared away. He’s coming along very fast. The school that he came from, it’s a great coaching staff and they did a great job with him. At this level, you have to be physical between the tackles. But his speed is extremely exceptional and it’s going to be a great thing for us.”

Daylan Smothers is working off the rust after not having a senior high school season. But that’s no problem or concern, said Murray.

“I’ve always told Daylan, just hey, be patient. Whenever you have a year off of football, it’s gonna take time. For him, I told him that last year, I told him that six months ago, I told him that when he first got here. So I've been a guy that’s missed time in his career, but when you miss a full year, just instinctually, things don’t just come back as naturally, no matter what. The fact he is a mid-year, he’s gonna get a huge jump-start on that. So it won’t take him too much time, but he’s been really good since he’s been here. But again, just taking it day by day with him and he’s done a good job.”

Joe Jon Finley – Tight end

Finley doesn’t have much of a tight end this spring because of injuries, but it is nice to bring Austin Stogner back into the fold.

“He’s extremely intelligent. And he knows football. So it’s easy for a guy like him. It’s now just what we do we call it. He’s run every single play that you can run in football. So now he’s just learning the names, getting the signals and really adjusting to the tempo at which we play because that’s new for him. He's just thankful to be here. I think going out there (to South Carolina) and coming back he's an Oklahoma guy. He’s always loved Oklahoma and so going out there made him realize how much he actually did love it. So he's glad to be back and he's a big time leader for my group especially and then for the offense as well.”

Bill Bedenbaugh – Offensive line

Center Joshua Bates hasn’t been afraid to mix it up in his initial practices, and Bedenbaugh appreciates the attitude Bates has shown since arriving.

“He’s doing good. It’s tough with snapping the ball. Obviously, it’s early. The kid should still be in high school. He’s learning and he’s getting better. He’s a tough kid. He’s a smart kid. He’s very competitive, finishes. But there’s a lot of things going on. He’s swimming. Once he really learns what he’s doing, he’s going to be a really good player. I’ve been pleased with him.”

Guard Caleb Shaffer brings a wealth of experience from Miami (Ohio), and it already feels like the trust level is there.

“He’s a big, massive guy. I like big guys and he can move pretty good. He’s played a lot of football. He started a lot. The MAC is a really good conference. He played against good teams, he played Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Kentucky. I got to see him play against those types of players that he’s going to play. He’s doing a good job. He’s learning right now. We do different things. We do different techniques and there’s different schemes involved, so he’s learning. He has to pick up the learning process, but he’s working hard. He’s a hard worker. He wants to be good. I’ve been pleased with him.”

Tackle Walter Rouse continues to recover from his torn labrum. But with all expectations being he’ll be ready for summer and preseason camp combined with his experience at Stanford, no one is worried.

“He’s extremely smart. He’s played a lot of football. Out here, he’s not doing anything. I watched a lot of his tape and recruited him out of high school. He’s smart. He’s intelligent. He understands the game. He’s inquisitive. He’s still involved. He’s doing some footwork things. He’s probably a little more athletic than I anticipated. But, again, we won’t know until we puts the pads and really start going. His learning, I don’t have any issue with.”

Defense

Miguel Chavis – Defensive end

Freshman P.J. Adebawore went from under the radar to one of the most highly touted prospects for the 2023 class. His potential feels endless, just going to be about how quickly he can reach it.

“It’s great. He is who he’s been. He's a special dude. He's a special talent. He's longer than Monday afternoon. But he's a special human being. And his mom and dad did a really good job raising him. His brother Tommy is gonna have great success. Went to Northwestern and blew up the Senior Bowl, combine and ran a 4.49 at 282. I ran a 4.49 30-yard dash. So he comes from the same stock. So he’s doing great.”

Portal era means yesterday’s villain is today’s friend, but there’s going to be more to just that part of the story with Trace Ford. Flipping sides in Bedlam will always be there, but Chavis is more excited about the type of player Ford is and will be.

“I was praying to Jesus that we could get him once he entered the portal… But I think for Trace it was making a decision that was best for him. He's an Oklahoma kid. He loves Oklahoma. He loves fishing. He loves his family, He's got a big family and he wanted to be close to them. Sometimes you need a fresh start. In-state local kid out of Santa Fe High School. Dreamed of playing for the Sooners and he's got a shot. And I'm really glad I’m the edge coach. He's doing awesome. Learning a lot. Really eager.”

Todd Bates – Defensive tackle

Freshman Derrick Leblanc already looks like a much different player since arriving in January. It’s about pacing and making sure he adds the weight in a nice, natural fashion.

“Derrick is a very cerebral player. He understands our playbook and scheme. He was one of those guys that when he came on his visit all he wanted to do was talk ball and learn our scheme. So he’s ahead of the game in knowing what to do. But his body is still getting there, he’s like 282 right now and just focused on developing functional strength of the body and focusing on his flexibility. He’s done some good things during the spring sessions, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he finishes. We want to finish on the rise and that’s what we’re looking for from the whole group.”

Looking for an immediate impact type of guy, and Texas State transfer Davon Sears might check that box.

“The pass-rush ability, the ability to get on top of a block. He was in that position a lot and had a lot of pressures at Texas State. So when I was evaluating his tape that’s what I saw – the pass rushing ability. I feel like I can teach you all the run stuff. Pass rush is a gift from God. He’ll flash at you. He’ll flash that ability. He’s learning everything. He just got here in January and has been learning the playbook. So he has a better handle of it and it’ll only get better.”

Ted Roof – Linebackers

Nobody might have more pressure on them as a transfer than Dasan McCullough. He’s expected to be something special right from the jump, coming off a solid freshman season at Indiana.

“He's done a good job so far coming in and learning. At the same time, I’ve been really impressed with how he's worked. And he's put on some weight. Came off an injury so he's put on some weight and just gotta keep grinding man. But yeah, he's got a bright future.”

Oh, so these are the types of linebackers Brent Venables wants to bring to OU. OK, we get it now. That’s been the type of phrasing used to describe Phil Picciotti.

“Phil absolutely loves the game of football … obviously it’s going really fast for him right now, but that’s to be expected. As far as the way he’s approached it, he’s had a very mature approach and he’s just got to work on being a very good linebacker at the University of Oklahoma.”

Jay Valai – Cornerbacks

Cornerback has been a room that’s been a bit banged up in the spring, allowing for freshman Jasiah Wagoner to turn some heads.

“He's a pit bull in everything he does every aspect of his life. And he doesn't flinch. One thing he's -- 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. 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.”

Brandon Hall – Safeties

Freshman Peyton Bowen has been back at practice the last two weeks after missing time for a death in the family. Getting an update on Bowen following spring and everything has been through will give us an even better idea.

“As you guys know, we're very multiple in what we do, and Coach Venables is very demanding. He expects perfection, which we all do as coaches. And on top of that, it's the effort piece. When you're coming from high school to college and you have to start all over again, things go twice as fast and you're having to learn twice as fast and you're having to learn twice as much. It takes time, and the thing that you value in this profession more than anything is experience. When those bullets start flying, being able to ignore the noise, so to speak. Ignore the speed and just lock in on what you're supposed to do.”

Bringing the experience is former Texas Tech safety Reggie Pearson. He’s trying to prove he’s more than just a big hitter.

“You can tell he's played a lot of snaps. Everyone knows he's a physical football player. But the thing that I appreciate most about him is because of the amount of snaps that he's played, he doesn't get rattled. He's been under a number of coaches, obviously. And I think sometimes that's a good thing because all you've got to do is figure out that language barrier and how to communicate with him. You basically say, 'Hey, this is like that, and this is like this.' He's very confident in himself. He's quiet, he's a learner and he's a leader. He really takes the younger guys under his wing and tries to help those guys out as well.”

Final word

“There’s a lot of learning right now and looks and pressure and a lot of guys coming after him from different angles and what not, the coverages he’s seeing. I’ve been really pleased with him. He’s thrown guys open. He’s thrown with anticipation. He’s made good decisions. He’s made some tough decisions too, some bad decisions that he’s had to learn and grow from as well but love where he’s at. He’s beyond the learning curve when it comes to the mental side of it. Football’s really easy for him, even at this level. There’s some things from a learning standpoint that sometimes paralyze young players. It hasn’t yet with him. And then he’s just got to put it all together.” – Brent Venables on freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold