It had already taken Oklahoma defensive lineman Jalen Redmond a long time, both mentally and physically, to recover from one ailment. But when that same condition returned just weeks later, it was almost too much for him to take.

Redmond, one of the defensive standouts for OU’s 2018 class, was expected to make a difference right from the jump. He was ready, too, as summer 2018 began until his first battle with blood clots slowed him down.

He was just excited about being in college. He was just excited about getting the chance to play college football. It took a while for the diagnosis to set in.

“First one was hard just hearing the doctor say (it),” Redmond said. “I didn’t know what blood clots were. Hearing that, I immediately broke down.”

OU was cautious and never rushed Redmond back onto the field. He would eventually see time in three consecutive games before his world came crashing down again.

If one battle with blood clots was tough, the second one had Redmond starting to really think about a post-football life at 19 years old.

“Of course,” said Redmond about thinking it might be over. “When I found out that it had turned around, I knew I kinda had in my head it might be my last time playing. That’s hard for a 19-year-old kid to think about. What am I going to do after this? It really hurt me. It put a lot on my shoulders.”

If anybody knows anything about Redmond, it’s his freakish athleticism. It’s the aggressive nature in which he attacks an opposing offense. He was that guy in those three games, but he could tell something was off.

“I’m in practice,” Redmond said. “I’m breathing heavy, and I feel fatigued… My chest was tight. At that point, it was an easy sign.”

Redmond would miss the rest of the 2018 season, but the door wasn’t closed in terms of his future. He had to take six months worth of blood thinner, which meant he couldn’t practice with the team. It also meant he could return to the game he loves once the session was done in July.

There’s no telling if the blood clots will return, not something Redmond can control. He knows what he has to do, and he knows he will report anything that is off to the OU medical staff.

Right now, though? It’s back to the game.

What Redmond was in 2018 was a violent defender coming off the edge, and there was no reason to suggest he would be anything different under first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

Except whenever Grinch was asked about Redmond during preseason camp, the same answer was echoed about not being quite sure where Redmond fit in.

He definitely fit, no question, but where exactly? The goal is to get the best 11 players on the field, and Redmond is certainly one of them. But if he was going to see time, change was going to have to happen.

Outside no more, Redmond was making the move inside.

“They approached me and talked to me about it during the spring and a little bit during the summer but that was just like trying to put it in my head,” Redmond said. “This is where we think you should be. I'm thinking about it. They said just think about it, give it a try and come fall camp, they talked to me about it, let's go ahead and see how it works. Let's give it a shot.”

It took Redmond a while to fully buy-in to what was being asked. He admitted it was the week before the season opener where his eyes opened, and he realized what he could do from the inside to set himself apart.

The gifts, the tools he’s always had? He can still use them, just in a different way.

“We can play with a guy like that. He is strong enough,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “Even though he’s not a 300-pounder, he has the strength of a 300-plus pounder. You don’t really lose anything with the size, but you gain so much with the athleticism inside that he’s a tough matchup for any interior offensive lineman. He’s played well.

“He’s kind of at that point where when we moved him, there were some things mentally to learn. Slowed him down just a little bit. As he gets comfortable, you’re seeing him think less and play more and become more natural. There are just more and more flash plays with him as we go on. He’s handled it well, and he’s going to get a lot better.”

He was still finding his rhythm in OU’s win against Houston, but Redmond was starting to become that guy last week. Included in that was a sack on the final play of the first half.

Through the first two games, Redmond has five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss with that sack and started his first game. He’s not a natural interior defensive lineman yet, but there’s no question Grinch is happy with where this is going.

“Again, he's only scratched the surface,” Grinch said. “You wouldn't describe him as good yet. He's made some highlights, and that's not a negative, it's just the reality of him missing all the time that he has, but just a major jump from week one to week two.

“One, from a knowledge standpoint. Two, just from a Tuesday performance standpoint on Wednesday – just that he was a better practice player last week and so that is something that is obviously he's going to have to continue as well.”

So for Redmond, it’s all coming together. His mother fully onboard with his return. His position becoming fully realized. A redshirt freshman ready to make a difference. Now it’s time for him to do what he does.

“Not knowing if you'll ever be able to play this game again and for me just starting to play not too long ago and kinda having to take it off for a year, it opens your eyes,” Redmond said. “It makes you not take things for granted, especially playing this game. A lot of people take it for granted, but you never know, it could be taken from you in the blink of an eye.”