There are so many reasons to be optimistic about Oklahoma’s 2021 defense. It’s Year 3 under Alex Grinch, the Sooners bring back nine starters, and there’s an outstanding freshman class ready to push for playing time behind the veterans.
It’s not hard to point to the stars (Nik Bonitto, Isaiah Thomas, Brian Asamoah, etc.), and it’s oftentimes not difficult to identify breakout candidates (D.J. Graham, Justin Harrington, Reggie Grimes and the like).
But there’s one player whose name has barely been spoken over the last few months, and he’s a player that could be a significant contributor for the revitalized Sooner defense in the season to come.
Have we completely neglected the presence of Caleb Kelly?
Granted, on a certain level, it makes sense that Kelly seems to have been swept under the rug in the public eye. After all, he missed all but four games of the 2019 season and the entirety of the 2020 season due to injury. He hasn’t started a game for Oklahoma since December 2018.
Kelly was supposed to be a first-round NFL draft pick one day. He was a five-star recruit, the crown jewel of Oklahoma’s 2016 signing class. He was a can’t-miss prospect who looked like a lock for All-American honors one day.
Yet the tapestry didn’t unroll quite that neatly.
Kelly got off to a phenomenal start in the crimson and cream, earning six starts as a freshman and moving into full-time starting duty by his sophomore year. He earned all-Big 12 honorable mention in 2017 as the Sooners secured their first of three straight berths in the College Football Playoff.
2018 was a down year for Kelly, but to be fair, it was a down year for the entirety of the Oklahoma defense. Nevertheless, he still ranked fourth on the team with 61 tackles, including a career-high 14 at West Virginia and seven in the Sooners’ Orange Bowl loss to Alabama.
Then the injury bug bit, and it’s derailed a once-promising career for the Fresno native.
Yet after two years of travail and adversity, Kelly is preparing to give it one more go in 2021. He’s poised to use his sixth year of eligibility, and barring another injury, he will rejoin the fold at linebacker alongside the likes of Asamoah and Dashaun White and David Ugwoegbu. Kelly is by far the most experienced linebacker on the roster, with 24 career starts to his name. He’s played 41 games, which ranks second among active Sooner linebackers (stalwart walk-on Bryan Mead has played in an astonishing 52).
So why doesn’t there seem to be any buzz surrounding his return?
After all, Kelly was taking game reps for the Sooners all the way back when Spencer Rattler was a freshman in high school. He’s been around the block a time or two. A fun piece of trivia: Kelly is the only player left on Oklahoma’s roster that drew a start under Bob Stoops, and Chanse Sylvie is the only other remaining Sooner that even played a down for Stoops.
If there’s one player that enters 2020 with a chip on his shoulder, a chance at redemption and a whole lot to prove to Sooner faithful, it’s Caleb Kelly. He’s got one last shot to erase a myriad of frustrating memories and close the book on his collegiate career with a flourish.
The hype surrounding the future of Alex Grinch’s unit is well-deserved, especially as it pertains to the front four. It’s certainly fun to speculate what slam-dunk impact players like Bonitto, Jalen Redmond and Perrion Winfrey could accomplish next season.
But don’t overlook the prodigal son of the Oklahoma defense.
The Link LonkJanuary 21, 2021 at 10:06PM
https://247sports.com/college/oklahoma/Article/thune-takes-lets-not-forget-about-redshirt-senior-linebacker-caleb-kelly-159678797/
ThuneTakes: Let’s not forget about Caleb Kelly - 247Sports
https://news.google.com/search?q=forget&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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