Entering the transfer portal, and you can have to strike that balance of maybe not picking a school too fast and not waiting too long to where the options fade away.
Oklahoma defensive tackle Jeffery Johnson had his plan. Four trips to LSU, OU, Missouri and Michigan and then make his call.
The Tulane transfer adjusted that decision after his visit to Norman and became a Sooner. It made sense for both sides, and now he’s getting acclimated to his new home.
Johnson was a four-year starter for the Green Wave and fared well when Tulane nearly upset OU in the season opener in 2021. Little did he know back then that it would just be months later, and he would be a Sooner.
“I’m kind of still trying to wrap my hand around it, the fact that I’m at Oklahoma,” Johnson said. “A lot of people saying, ‘Oh man, you’re at Oklahoma.’ I’m like yeah, I’m at Oklahoma. I sit in my room at night, I’m like, ‘I’m at Oklahoma.’ That’s kind of cool.”
First-year head coach Brent Venables was quick to say it’s a blank canvas for all involved, and that’s definitely true for Johnson.
OU defensive coaches don’t have any prior interaction with any of the guys, so it’s up to Johnson to make that first impression and decide where things go from there. He’s been able to do that because everybody is learning at the same time.
It’s not like Johnson is having to play catch-up because the rest of the linemen have scheme experience to fall back on. They’re all in the same position, meaning Johnson hasn’t been afraid to be a little more vocal and allow his leadership to shine through.
“No. 1, he’s a grad transfer, a grad transfer captain,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “So you’re putting a guy that was the captain of his football team in our locker room. When it’s obvious they have one year left, walking in the door.
“The first couple of days, it’s like, OK, you’re here for a reason. With his leadership and work ethic, he was accepted by his peers. Not only accepted, but helping lead the group.”
It has been noticed by his new teammates as well. The way Johnson has come into the locker room has been the best way possible.
“He has his head on straight,” cornerback D.J. Graham said. “It’s good getting someone in, a four-year starter with experience. It’s good to know we’re accepting of other players and other talent everywhere else. It’s good to see them mesh with us.”
Johnson had a lot of different choices as to where he could have gone, but there was something about the staff that stuck out.
It makes sense when you talk to the players about a different energy at OU right now. That type of energy is definitely appealing for a graduate transfer who knows he has one season to do whatever he can.
Whether it’s Venables or defensive tackles coach Todd Bates, Johnson is eager to see what this one season can do for him and for the Sooners.
“When I met coach Bates, it was kind of like the technique, the scheme, the fundamentals of d-line is all pretty much the same. I’m coming from the same system, it’s just at a new place,” Johnson said. “That was big for me just coming here.”
And Venables is just different, maybe no other way to say it.
“I’ve never seen a coach with his passion,” Johnson said. “It’s just crazy. He makes players want to play even harder for him. He sets that standard. The standard is the standard, no matter where you go whether it’s at Oklahoma or any other school. I feel like just him with the passion he brings to the table, it makes players want to play for him more. I think that’s going to be a big thing for us last year.”
