Work in Progress

It takes a different kind of personality to want to be a college football defensive coordinator in 2019. With all the scoring nationwide, it’s a thankless job.

Emphasize that statement when talking about the offensive-happy Big 12 conference. But first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch knew what he was getting into when he accepted the Oklahoma job three months ago.

He came in with a mission for spring practice. Speed defense. Effort-based defense. No wasted days. The Sooners concluded their 15 practices last week. Some good news, some bad news, and now Grinch knows what he’s working with.

“You see holes. You see issues,” Grinch said. “You leave with kind of that taste in your mouth where you have a long way to go and you are immediately anxious for fall camp.

“I think there are guys running to the football and there are guys showing the willingness to do the things that we’re asking them to do. But there is still the willingness to say we’re in the middle of a horse race. You can’t do that. It’s a work in progress as we transition into the summer.”

Even before you start talking scheme and then getting into things like tackling and turnovers, it’s a mindset and accountability factor that has to become the norm at OU first. What was allowed before isn’t necessarily going to fly now. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s an adjustment.

It’s not enough to have one great play sandwiched in between so-so efforts are missed assignments. The excuses aren’t going to be tolerated.

You see it from Day 1 with Grinch, and nothing changed during the next month and the 14 other spring practices.“From an individual standpoint, I would certainly say guys have a better anticipation of what a practice for the Oklahoma defense looks like and feels like,” Grinch said. “I think there’s a standard that the guys have some level of expectation of what a practice should be and how execution should ultimately take place.

“I don’t see a fast defense yet. I don’t see a brand of football that would put us anywhere close – certainly not an elite defense – but I wouldn’t even make a claim the top half of the country.”

It’s going to take time, but Grinch and company only have a little over four months before Houston comes to town for the season opener Aug. 31.

As with any coaching changes, there’s going to be collateral damage. There’s going to be guys who realize they don’t fit what’s going on. There have been transfer portal defections, hey, it happens.

The other part is injuries. It’s hard to assess when you’re missing guys like Jordan Parker, Robert Barnes and Starrland Baldwin in the secondary. Then during the course of spring, you lose a team leader like senior Caleb Kelly and an emerging defensive tackle in Jordan Kelley.

But you can’t lament about who you didn’t have or who you won’t have. Grinch knows that’s not a recipe for success.

For the guys still standing, now it’s time for them to take the reins.“I think No. 1, from an athletic standpoint, make sure our speed gains, explosive gains, size gains in several instances, transforming your body,” Grinch said. “If you look the same come August that you do in April, then something is wrong and it certainly has nothing to do with the work put in by Coach Wylie and his staff.

“That’s a personal decision, not to take advantage of the resources and not put yourself in the right frame of mind to play elite football in the fall. I don’t envision that happening in any way, shape or form.”

It’s not all gloom-and-doom at OU. You get the sense after multiple media sessions with Grinch that he’s going to lean into what’s not working instead of glorifying what is going well.

After the last couple of seasons of the narrative being OU is so close to turning the defensive corner, maybe his honesty sends a jolt for some and is refreshing for others.

If there’s one group Grinch seems to be encouraged by, it’s what Calvin Thibodeaux has been doing with the defensive line. They’re dropping like flies when it comes to numbers, but the quality and the attitude is what Grinch is hoping for.

“Probably the group to me that I would highlight the most just in terms of buy in,” Grinch said. “The numbers there are low, in terms of the amount of guys, which makes it that much more difficult for defensive linemen right now as they go through practice. At worst, we probably get into survival mode, but at our best, I see some disruption and guys really buying into the things we're asking them to do.”

Grinch has reiterated this point all spring. Don’t say you’re a defensive player at OU and didn’t have an opportunity. Everyone had a chance during the spring, and if you put in the work during the summer, August is open, too.

And classification doesn’t matter. Freshman, senior, it’s about getting the job done. Grinch said in January this is a 1 percent job. He needs that top 1 percent players, no matter how it goes down or if any feelings are hurt in the process.

“I think going back to that one-percent comment, when you bring guys in ... you don't redshirt one-percenters,” Grinch said. “You don't do it. You don't redshirt those level of guys.”

The first spring for Grinch is in the books. Coaches setting the standard, players are following their lead. Grinch said he’s found a good group of leaders. Now the goal is to find more players to come along for the ride.

“The nice thing at Oklahoma right now, you're talking about one of the elite programs historically, obviously one of the elite programs currently and the opportunity to still make an impact on that side of the ball is very rare,” Grinch said. “Instead of building a program, we're building a defense.

“It may not be as far away as some of those other programs that talk about the letters on their chest as opposed to the championships that they've won.”