NORMAN — It’s not a secret that OU’s special teams needed an upgrade following last season’s struggles.
Entering the SEC where the margins will be slim on every side of the ball in most conference games, Brent Venbales didn’t shy away from the reality that all special teams categories required change. The Sooners ranked 94th in SP+, a college football effiency rating by ESPN, on special teams a season ago, while also finishing 50th nationally in kick returns and 95th in punt returns.
Kicker Zach Schmit made just 11 of his 17 attempts in 2023, including a crucial miss in a loss to Oklahoma State. Josh Plaster, who started the year as OU’s punter, was benched after the Texas game for Luke Elzinga, who is expected to keep his job in 2024.
When Jay Nunez left to become Alabama’s special teams coordinator on Feb. 5, Venables knew he needed to nail his special teams hire. He moved swiftly, nabbing Doug Deakin, San Diego State’s former special teams coach on Feb. 22.
“Doug’s body of work,” Venabales said on what attracted him to Deakin. “He’s been committed, he’s built something where he’s at in lots of different ways in this profession. He’s got a great journey, he’s got a great testimony on how he got to where he is. But he’s really good, he’s passionate about what he does and smart and has been very successful.”
Deakin spent six years as the Aztecs’ coordinator and had them ranked No. 56 in the country in SP+ in 2023.
“He’s got a philosophy on special teams from the aggressiveness standpoint that aligns with what we want to be as well in the special teams area,” Venables said. “We feel like this is an opportunity to improve and get better. Obviously a space that we’ve got to improve. Kick the ball with more consistency and can’t turn the ball over. We’ve got to be more…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ou-football-doug-deakin-fix-104003818.html
Author : The Oklahoman
Publish date : 2024-03-17 10:40:03
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