OU, McNeill hoping for déjà vu
It was 11 years ago when Ruffin McNeill was in this exact same spot. Yea, you could say the more things change, the more they stay the same.
McNeill was thrust into the role of interim Texas Tech defensive coordinator following a 49-45 loss at Oklahoma State and was able to help turn things around in Lubbock.
Not sure he ever envisioned being in that predicament again, but here we are. McNeill was named as interim defensive coordinator by Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley on Monday morning, replacing a dismissed Mike Stoops.
McNeill is somebody who has been around the block once or twice and then around it again and again. Not only does Riley have faith because of McNeill’s track record, but because of his first-hand experience with McNeill going through this process.
“He's been in this situation,” Riley said. “I got to see it first hand, both as a coordinator and then as a head coach for the Alamo Bowl.
“I was very confident in his ability to handle it and he's one of those guys, with what he's been through, he doesn't have to sit back and think, when this happened, he didn't have to sit back and think, 'What do I do?' He knows exactly what to do. He'll unite that stuff and unite those players and get us playing at a high level.”
McNeill did such a good job in Lubbock that he earned the official defensive coordinator role. Nobody knows what the plan is going to be in Norman in the long-term scenario, but players have a pretty good understanding of what McNeill is going to demand out of them.
Hired by Riley in June 2017, McNeill has served as assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach for the Sooners.
“Coach Ruff? Known Coach Ruff since he’s been here, been working with the D-line,” defensive lineman Amani Bledsoe said. “He’s cool, calm, collected guy. Has a lot of patience. But doesn’t like to waste time. That’s what we know. He does not like you to waste his time.”
McNeill will relinquish that tackles coaching spot, allowing Calvin Thibodeaux the chance to coach the entire defensive line from now on. It will give McNeill a better chance to roam throughout practice and get a better feel of the defense.
His second ‘coach’ out there is going to be sophomore linebacker Kenneth Murray. It’s rare that a true sophomore is named a team captain, but Murray earned that honor before the season.
Being a leader, Murray said, has come natural to him. But that role is going to be emphasized even more in trying to keep this group together and form that pivotal bond with McNeill at the same time.
“I think that’s great,” said Murray about McNeill’s experience. “He’s a real calm, cool, collected guy. He’s seen so much, so I’m able to learn so much from him. I just look at him, and I’m like a sponge. I just try to soak everything up and gain his knowledge and be his eyes and ears on the field.”
McNeill isn’t going to change who he is. His motto remains true today as it was all those years ago – coach ‘em hard, love ‘em harder. He’s going to do whatever he can to bring out the best in the players by working them as hard as possible and lifting them up whenever needed.
The Sooners’ goals are still there to be had for 2018. They’re not a lost cause, so finding the right guy is incredibly crucial. Riley said the defense needs a spark, needs to hear a new voice leading the charge. He believes he has that guy, at least for the rest of this season, in McNeill.
“He has a gift with people. I think everybody sees that, anybody who has had the chance to interact with him,” Riley said. “He’s got a tremendous gift with people. I felt like that’s what we needed right now. He’s very confident because he’s been through this. He’s been through a lot in this game. He’s got the track record to have success in a situation like this.”