The Sooners ranked No. 127 nationally in special teams efficiency last season, so Brent Venables is bringing in an analyst whose unit ranked in the top 10 three straight years.
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
It seems Oklahoma coach Brent Venables has identified his new special teams czar.
According to a report Thursday night from Sooners Illustrated’s Collin Kennedy, OU is expected to hire former San Diego State special teams coordinator Doug Deakin as special teams analyst.
Citing unnamed sources, Kennedy and 247 Sports national reporter Matt Zenitz reported that Deakin will fill the position vacated when Jay Nunez left to take a job at Alabama.
Deakin has a 17-year association with the Aztecs, dating back to his days as a walk-on who was voted team captain as a senior in 2010.
More recently, he was SDSU’s special teams coordinator for six seasons. According to his most recent bio on the SDSU athletics website, the Aztecs were ranked in the top 10 of ESPN’s FBS special teams efficiency three years in a row, including the 2022 season when they ranked No. 2 in the nation with a 72.2 efficiency rating. Last season, the Aztecs ranked No. 9 nationally in overall special teams efficiency.
Doug Deakin
San Diego State Athletics
At OU, Deakin inherits a special teams unit that ranked No. 127 nationally last season, according to ESPN.
The analyst position is allowed to coach players at practice, but can’t coach them on game days. That means each special teams unit was coached by individual position coaches on game days after working with the analyst all week.
The Sooners bring back both their punter and kicker in 2024, although both positions are considered open competitions.