The Oklahoma Sooners have started fall camp.
It is the final piece of the offseason puzzle before the season begins anew.
OU enters its third year under head coach Brent Venables and will leave the Big 12 for the SEC in 2024. The Sooners hope to expand on their 10-3 record in 2023, which was an improvement from their catastrophic 6-7 season in 2022.
One of the Sooners’ newest additions will also be an important piece in 2024. Damonic Williams, a defensive lineman, transferred to Oklahoma from TCU during the spring transfer portal window. Williams was one of the portal’s most sought-after players, and his signing was a big triumph for Venables and defensive tackles coach Todd Bates. Williams not only filled a defensive tackle need in Norman after the spring football season, but he also signals a significant NIL victory for Oklahoma.
#Sooners DL Damonic Williams said his mother told him either they’re going to OU together or she was going to.
Williams, one of the most sought after DL in the portal, also said Brent Venables was the best coach he met during the process. pic.twitter.com/RoxsRshzjH
— Colton Sulley (@colton_sulley) August 1, 2024
The highly anticipated newcomer made his Oklahoma media debut on Thursday after practice, interacting with the media. Naturally, the subject led to his commitment to the Sooners, and he was able to provide some insight into his decision.
“I feel like out of all the head coaches I met, BV, he’s probably most definitely the best one,” he added. “He’s a hands-on coach, not a CEO-type head coach who just watches practice. No, he’s practicing, and he’s chewing people out if they’re doing the wrong thing, which is something I like about this place.”
Williams has Venables pegged, as that hands-on intensity and fire have been the coach’s trademark throughout his tenure. But Venables wasn’t the only reason Williams chose OU over numerous other offers.
“Actually, at the end of my first official visit here, my mom was like, ‘Either you’re going (to OU) and I’m going with you, or I’m just going by myself,’ so that was already a deciding factor,” Williams said. “For my mom it was the family-oriented environment, and for me it was the same thing, but also what I could do in this defense.”
Williams and his mother definitely recognized the family-oriented ethos that Venables and his crew have been attempting to instill since their arrival in Oklahoma. Williams should also be able to cause havoc in the trenches, providing the Sooners with a defensive lineman capable of winning off the line in the Southeastern Conference.