NORMAN — Compared to most of the Sooners' secondary, Gentry Williams is an experienced veteran.

But looking at the numbers, it feels like Williams is just getting started. At least, that's how OU coach Brent Venables sees it.

"He's got exponential growth and potential ahead of him," Venables said on Saturday.

It's easy to see why he feels that way about the junior cornerback.

Williams was impressive during spring practices in 2023, and he had already established himself as the starting cornerback next to Woodi Washington by the time fall camp rolled around. But last season was a constant struggle for Williams, who spent his time in and out of the lineup with a shoulder injury he suffered early in the season.

He still managed to start 10 of the Sooners' 13 games, but he played just 372 snaps, per Pro Football Focus — the 12th most on the team and fourth most among OU's cornerbacks. He missed three games and played more than 35 snaps in just five games as he struggled to stay consistently healthy.

Despite the injuries, Williams still finished with 30 tackles, four tackles for loss and three interceptions, which was second on the team behind Billy Bowman. There were still flashes of his potential, but last year proved to be a challenge.

"It was tough," Williams said. "It was something that no player really wants to go through when you wanna have success and you wanna play with your brothers, but it's something I'm glad I went through and I know what I don't want to go through this season with my brothers."

Williams eventually had labrum surgery, and he's feeling fully healthy heading into 2024. He's even added some weight, as he's officially listed at 187 pounds on the fall roster compared to 182 a year ago.

But his health isn't the only thing that changed.

"First and foremost, I wanna give a lot of praise to (OU strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt) and all his staff for changing my whole mindset," Williams said. "I have to be able to push through when you're going through it, cause every day's not gonna be perfect, every day's not gonna be great. And I feel like my mindset has changed and I'm gonna give all praise and glory to them and Coach Venables and (OU cornerbacks coach Jay Valai) and all of them.

"And I've just gotta be able to push through for my guys on this team. They're counting on me and I'm counting on them, so I've really gotta continue to grow."

Part of that mindset change involves his mindset when he's on the field, too. Williams may have more experience compared to other players in the secondary, but he knows there's still a lot to learn.

"If Billy says something, I’m not going to be that guy that’s (like), 'OK, I don’t want to do that.' I’m actually listening to what Billy wants to do. I’m telling the younger guys that you see he’s an all-American, so we have to go do it. (I'm) building off what Danny (Stutsman), Billy and Woodi are saying, (just) adding onto that."

The Tulsa native projects is expected to resume his starting role next to Washington. While the Sooners' cornerback room could be deeper this season with the development of players like Jacobe Johnson and Makari Vickers and the additions of Dez Malone, Devon Jordan and Jaydan Hardy, but Williams' injuries put a strain on the position group last season.

If Williams can stay healthy, that would give the Sooners' secondary a huge boost.

"He’s missed significant time," Venables said of Williams. "I think he had technically 10 starts last year, but probably played maybe four total games. His total snap count is not great. Getting him being able to do something consistently, that's how you develop your skillset. This is a guy coming out of high school that did a lot, he played middle linebacker, safety, quarterback, was a running back and receiver. He played very little corner.

"So, learning how to be a really good functional, fundamentally sound corner is something we've tried to do. He was a guy that didn't come in in January, he was a summer guy and then we threw him in the fire. I think you'll see a tremendous leap from Gentry just in camp alone. He's a super conscious guy, highly skilled, really cares about the team, cares about his opportunity and is a locked-in focus guy. So, I'm excited to see his growth potential."

Williams showed his potential last season as a guy the Sooners can build, and he's felt pressure to stay healthy as the team heads into a pivotal season. Over the next few weeks, staying ready is the primary goal for Williams.

"I had to get back right because guys like Billy Bowman and Woodi and (Robert Spears-Jennings), they're not gonna wait on me," Williams said. "So I had to add weight. We're going to a new conference, had to bulk up. Had to take care of myself and make sure I'm ready to go."

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