There was a period around December where you could realistically have not had a tight end room at Oklahoma.

Austin Stogner transferred to South Carolina. Jeremiah Hall was heading to the NFL Draft. Nobody knew the status of Brayden Willis. Nobody knew if Jason Llewelyn and Kaden Helms were going to stick with their commitments after the coaching changes.

But tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley has four scholarship guys to work with. Willis returned, the freshmen stood pat, and OU added Missouri transfer Daniel Parker.

Parker brings a lot of experience, but there was just a little something more about knowing Willis was going to come back for a super senior season.

“He’s a lead by example type of guy,” Finley said. “He’s going to do everything right. It’s a great picture for those younger guys to see that every day. He’s become more vocal because he’s earned that right. He does a great job with every aspect. I call him a pro. You talk about a pro with a pro mindset.

“You really have to do a great job of managing your time and doing everything right. That’s what he does every single day. He’s the same guy every single guy. That’s why he’s had so much success and will continue to have so much success.”

Willis has had an up-and-down career at OU. He played right out of the gate as a true freshman, which surprised a lot of people. But he’s rarely been able to go through an entire season staying healthy.

So even though he’s been around a lot, he’s never had that opportunity to be the guy. That should change in 2022. It’s his show.

“I never wanted to leave,” Willis said. “Like you know, whenever there was the switch, I had no interest in transferring. It was either I was gonna go on to the next level or I was gonna stay at Oklahoma. So yeah, this is a special place. I love it here and I just wanted to be here with my team.

“And getting to know the coaching staff, being basically re-recruited by them. I tell this all the time when I talked to recruits, I was recruited a second time so I can tell you everything that they're telling you is true. And I've seen it. I've got to experience it. And I'm so glad I came back. It's been a blessing for me.”

No recruiting process necessary

Some transfer portal battles are rough and tough, just like a high school recruiting competition. That wasn’t the case for former California offensive guard McKade Mettauer and picking the Sooners.

Originally from Houston, it gave Mettauer a chance to get closer to home. But add in offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, there wasn’t a lot of drama to this decision.

“The recruiting pitch when I started to transfer, there wasn’t really one,” Mettauer said. “I knew Oklahoma was Oklahoma. I think the recruiting process was probably about 10 minutes. He called me and said we’ve got a spot for you and I said OK I’ll think about it. I called him right back and said I’m in.”

Mettauer is bringing that versatility to the guard position, playing both left and right. He has been that perfect fit with Bedenbaugh that he expected.

“We’re both intense guys and I think my personality and my play style is matching up better to how these coaches like it,” Mettauer said.

Darby on the rise

A lot has been said about the lack of depth for OU at wide receiver, but you can’t really say the guys haven’t produced.

Even in limited opportunities, they’ve been ready. A great example of that was Brian Darby in the 2021 season, whether it was catching that long touchdown from Spencer Rattler vs. Texas Tech or coming up big in Bedlam at Oklahoma State, Darby showed he’s someone to trust.

“It really boosted my confidence. I've always known the type of player I've been,” Darby said. “Like they say, you just have to wait for your opportunity. When your opportunity comes, just excel and to do what you've always been doing.

“Those two touchdowns really helped me in my confidence and helped me build this offseason. I just showed what I can do. I know that I can do. Everybody has seen what I can do, so I just proved to everybody that I know I can do it.”

Darby battled some nagging injuries last season, too, but he said that’s not a problem heading into this spring.

Parker the blocking machine

It’s obvious in talking with Daniel Parker how much he prides himself as a blocker. The past relationship Finley and Parker had at Missouri means Finley knows all about that.

He knows that Parker can be special as a tight end catching the ball, but you have to appreciate how much he loves the physicality of the position.

“He brings the mindset that just gives you chills when you think about old school football,” Finley said. “We’re going to be physical, and that’s the part he absolutely loves. He can go out and catch the ball. He does a great job of being efficient with his route running and coming off the ball. You pause the film and he’s even with the receivers at five yards because his technique is really good.

“It all comes back to the mindset. He couldn’t come here at a better time fitting in with the mindset of Coach Venables of being physical, fast and playing extremely hard. He’s a picture of that.”

Quotable

“This new coaching staff, they've laid the groundwork for us to be successful. And it's just, when you get a bunch of guys that are strong in their faith like our coaching staff is and really cares about the players and feeds the mind instead of the athlete, I think that that's a great combination for a winning team.

“And not only just to be a winning team, but to make great men for our society. So I think that's why there's a lot of positive buzz. And then also the all the football things that come along with it. A lot of our coaches have played past college football and a lot of our coaches are decorated. So it's just a lot of buzz right now and it's very exciting. I'm excited myself. This is – I've been in college a couple years now and this is the most excited I've been going into a season.” – Willis