When you talk about who is going to star at defensive end/RUSH linebacker for Oklahoma for assistant Jamar Cain, the conversation starts with Nik Bonitto.

After a breakout season in 2020, especially down the stretch run, Bonitto is expected to be one of the best defenders in the country.

Beyond that, though, is where you start separating the pretenders from the contenders. And beyond that right now, Cain is feeling pretty happy about where his group stands less than two weeks from the season opener against Tulane.

“I really feel comfortable with where that group is at,” Cain said. “Marcus has been pushing himself harder and harder, and it’s really good to see Marcus and Clayton really look at Nik and try to model their game after him, seeing his maturity, seeing his growth within our defense and seeing Nik make some plays.

“There’s some plays those guys just can’t do yet because they don’t know the ins and outs of the defense yet. Just seeing those guys really attack practice and really try to push those guys’ reps in fall camp knowing where Nik already is. It’s been fun to watch those guys grow. That depth there is really good. It’s going to help out a lot in the fall season.”

Marcus Stripling seems primed to be in the No. 2 slot after making the move from defensive end back in the spring. And then it’s just wondering who has the lights turned on first among a talented bunch of freshmen like Clayton Smith, Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge and Ethan Downs.

Bonitto can’t do it all, but his leadership is going to be crucial in terms of the development of the younger guys at the spot.

Versatility still the key

As the freshmen work on learning their craft, there are certain guys who have been around the program enough to bring the versatility and work multiple spots.

Whether it’s Caleb Kelly, working at both inside and outside linebacker. Or roommates Jalen Redmond and Isaiah Thomas, who can play inside one play and off the edge the next.

“The Caleb Kellys, Jalen Redmonds of the world, those guys are athletic enough,” Cain said. “In our defense, we just want to get the best players on the field. Kinda similar when (Ronnie) Perkins came back last year, we moved Isaiah inside.

“Whatever we’ve gotta do to get the best 11 on the field or the best 22 on the field, we’re going to do that. So if we’ve gotta experiment with J-Red like we did early in fall camp, we’ll definitely do that.”

Stripling is free

Back when Stripling made the move in the spring, a lot of the focus was on his weight. No matter what he did, he was never able to keep the pounds necessary to be with the defensive line.

Spring is done, preseason camp is all but wrapped up, so it has given Cain enough time to realize why this move is going to suit Stripling just fine going forward.

“I think his body was always built for rush,” Cain said. “He’s a little bit freer out there, because now he can drop in coverage and use his athletic ability instead of him just being on the line of scrimmage. And again, I think him being behind Nik and seeing what Nik is able to do with his athletic ability is going to help Marcus into that player. We can use his athleticism to our advantage throughout the season.”

Bonitto sets the tone and is a reminder

A lot has been talked about Bonitto when it comes to his rocky start his true freshman season in Norman. He’s clearly not that guy now.

He is the leader of his group, setting the tone. But you can almost use his uneven beginning at OU as a reminder that it might not click 100 percent from your first days. That’s OK, as long as you’re still willing to put in the work necessary.

“I mean, one day in practice, one day in film, I just pull up the Houston game from a couple of years ago where Nik was out there playing a SAM backer, and he just looked, oh. He came a long way, put it like that,” Cain said. “So moral of the story is I just wanted to tell those young guys, look how far Nik came. I mean, seriously, like he was loafing, like walking around.

“And now after I put up another couple of plays from last season and the see his change – that's just development and a player who never – I don't want to say never felt bad about it, but like, he just got better, put it like that. It's just to show the young guys stick to the process and just try and good things will happen.”

Mims ready for next step

Coming off a sensational freshman season, it has a lot of OU fans wondering what can realistically be expected from wide receiver Marvin Mims.

Mims was still essentially learning the game last season. That’s not going to be a problem this time around, said outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons.

“The sky is the limit for Marvin,” Simmons said. “Obviously, the game is going to slow down for him. Now he knows the system. He knows not just what he does but the complimentary guys and everything around him, so the anxiety of it with every week being his first is no longer there. He’s able to really home in and showcase his talent and his skills.”

Mims, a naturally quiet guy, is starting to become more vocal. It’s not his comfort zone, but Simmons said you can see Mims taking more ownership in that department.

Getting the room ready

Receivers want the ball, not an earth-shattering announcement. But when pressed about how many receivers Simmons would want to have game-ready for each contest, it shows that you need a lot of bodies ready to roll.

The numbers get skewed a bit when you start factoring in the number of overall plays and how many times you run vs. the pass, but Simmons said having at least six guys is ideal.

“In a perfect world, you’d like to have for, just my room alone, a good rotation I would say of six to eight guys ready to play,” Simmons said. “Now, how many snaps each guy gets, the game dictates that. But in the perfect world, I would like to be able to go in a game where I got six to eight guys at any given point to put out there and not miss a beat.”

Quotable

“At the end of the day, we are who we are, and you try to do the best you can. Let these guys know that if you come here, I give you my word and my word is gonna mean something, and I'm gonna stand by it. I think all of these guys were just looking for opportunity to go showcase their talent. We have a pretty good track record … of helping guys at this particular position be able to do something. In the end, you win some, you lose some, and you try to hold onto them all.” – Simmons on the ebbs and flows of recruiting. OU lost a five-star receiver commitment (Luther Burden) last week but gained another from Brandon Inniss over the weekend