NORMAN — Before Konnor Near entered the NCAA transfer portal earlier this summer, he attended Michigan State’s Pro Day to watch his roommate.
The then-Ferris State linebacker had spent four seasons playing Division II football, racking up numerous accolades. And when he saw the Spartan players go through drills, Near had a realization.
He knew he could play football at the highest level.
“I was just kind of looking around… and I was like, ‘Hey, I can do that. What’s going on here?’” Near said during his media availability earlier this month “It’s just ball.”
There were reasons for Near to be confident. The four-year veteran stood out during his time at Ferris State, particularly on defense. Last season, Near totaled 66 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery while playing all 15 games primarily at middle linebacker, leading Ferris State to its second-consecutive Division II championship. He was also named as an All-American at the end of the season.
When he entered the portal in May, Near immediately received interest from Oklahoma, Michigan State, Texas Tech, Cincinnati and Duke. But Near wasn’t looking to drag out the process, and he wanted to find a school where he was comfortable.
He found that with the Brent Venables, Ted Roof and the Sooners.
“I talked to coach (Venables) and coach Roof on the phone the first week I was figuring things out,” Near recalled. “They were just all about relationships and hard work and determination than the flashy, fancy things everybody else is about. And that’s kind of what sold me.
“The amount of resources that are here for a linebacker… All of the different (graduate assistants) we have on staff and coaches on staff that played linebacker… There’s just a depth of knowledge to learn from them. Also, (it’s) just a historic school. It’s kind of like a childhood dream, and it all worked out really good... My last school, I chose that place because of the people that were there. I kind of trusted them and they were all kind of like my father, in a way. I felt that same sense of family.”
Near may not have Division I experience, but he immediately brings a much-needed veteran presence to the Sooners’ linebacker room. Not only is the redshirt senior the oldest player in the LB room, he’s one of only three players (Danny Stutsman, Shane Whitter) to be older than a true sophomore.
“Konnor Near is a four-year starter,” Venables said during Big 12 Media Days. “He’s an All-American. He’s a captain. He’s a national champion. My fear at linebacker is that we’ve got one linebacker that’s ever started a college football game in Danny Stutsman. And (we) really wanted to bring the right person, the right individual, the right player that fit our culture, our playing style, that brought experience. I wasn’t just going to bring in an experienced guy. I wanted a guy that can line up and play winning football for us.
“Konnor is a guy that’s going to bring instincts, toughness, physicality. He’s gonna be able to lead a defense. He’s going to be able to communicate. He’s going to be able to perform under pressure. And he knows right from wrong. He understands standards. He understands a locker room. He understands leadership. He understands tough coaching and he’s won at the highest level. I’m excited to bring in a guy like Konnor and he’ll help expedite growth of other players.”
The Michigan native has been one of the standouts during the first few days of fall camp. He’s already had a big impact on some of the younger players in the linebacker room.
“Konnor’s great, man. He’s a beast,” OU sophomore Jaren Kanak said. “It’s awesome getting in with an older guy, a guy coming in with a lot of football IQ. He’s played a lot of football in his life. Getting a guy like that to come in, fly around and make noise, he’s a really tough guy, hard-nosed guy. So we’re really glad to have him.”
