How is Zac Alley settling in at co-defensive coordinator?
NORMAN — The connection between Brent Venables and Zac Alley has been heavily documented since he was hired as Oklahoma's new co-defensive coordinator in January.
The pair spent eight years together at Clemson, when Venables served as the program's defensive coordinator. Alley spent his first stint as a student assistant before becoming a graduate assistant. During that time, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told OUInsider that Venables spent more time with Alley than anyone.
After leaving Clemson, Alley spent time at Boise State and Louisiana Monroe before spending two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State, but his time with Venables has left a lasting imprint. Some have even referred to Alley — who is also the Sooners' linebackers coach, following in his mentor’s footsteps — as a clone of Venables. The Sooners' players have already gotten that impression.
“Oh, that's BV (Brent Venables)," OU defensive lineman Gracen Halton said when asked about Alley. "They're both the same. But he's passionate, passionate for the game, knows what he's talking about. That's all that matters. We're right behind him."
This spring is the first opportunity for both Venables and Alley to officially be on staff together. What has the adjustment been like? Well, for Venables, it's given him a bit more freedom to focus on duties as a head coach.
"I think there’s more depth and experience from the standpoint of myself and Zac and our other defensive coaches than what we had before," Venables said after Tuesday's practice. "There’s a different level of trust and understanding. Zac thinks more like me and then does a good job no matter what it is – whether it’s the fundamentals, whether it’s the areas of weakness, development drills, scheme-wise and situationally.
"We work through a lot before we come out to practice. I’m always going to be hands-on. But I’m also trying to do what a head coach needs to be able to do and that’s get connected with other aspects of your team. You can’t just be all-in on one particular area. You have to have all hands-on deck everywhere."
That's been apparent during practices. In the past, Venables largely oversaw the linebackers during individual drills with assistance from graduate assistant James Skalski and former defensive coordinator Ted Roof. But since spring practices began, It's been Alley running the linebacker drills.
Venables is still around. But the dynamics have already shifted more towards Alley.
"Coach V’s still there," OU linebacker Dasan McCullough said. "Coach V still has his say so in everything, but I would say the biggest difference is Alley’s just taking more charge. He’s actually running a lot of the stuff now. I’d say last year, Coach V was a big portion of just our (individual drills) and things of that nature. Now it’s all Coach Alley; he’s leading all our (drills).
"Coach V might come over and stop by and just see how we’re doing, but he’s not the one actually leading the drills, stuff like that. Even when we get to team-separate, Alley’s the one fixing all the adjustments and stuff like that. Coach V’s giving his insight too, but he’s really letting Alley kind of take his role.”
Alley has also had an immediate impact on the defensive schemes, specifically the terminology that is being used. Venables particularly credited Alley with helping to simplify and streamline the communication between the coaches and players.
"... When he did leave (Clemson) several years ago, and got out (of) our football building, and he had to go to several places and start over and build something from scratch, and teach everybody around him. I think he probably learned maybe even more efficient ways to do it.
And so he's been able to give some of those shortcuts to help expeditiously develop our players teach our players. And so we've had a little bit (of) some new language and new things to go in. But just reorganizing. I think (that we) cleaned the pantry out, and we threw away stuff that we didn't need any more and we reorganized it."
While Alley is still early into his tenure in Norman, and the Sooners are still months away from their first season with him, he's already made a significant impact.
"He’s a great coach," OU linebacker Danny Stutsman said. "He really understands and relates to us. It’s a different balance from Coach Venables, which is really good. It’s good to go to him and see what he’s thinking."