Jerry Ramsey breaks down the Sooners’ elite defensive backfield, evaluates Courtland Guillory’s NFL potential, and issues a reality check regarding David Stone’s preseason hype and Jason Witten
Jerry Ramsey from The Franchise in Oklahoma City jumped on The Jones Report this week with Sooners Roundtable publisher Tyler Jones and gave a pretty honest look at where Oklahoma stands as fall camp gets going.
Ramsey doesn’t usually hold back, and this appearance was no different.
He came out firing with praise for the secondary. “This is the best secondary I’ve seen (at Oklahoma) since the early 2000s. This is an incredible secondary.”
That’s high praise. The group will be led by Peyton Bowen, Eli Bowen, Courtland Guillory, and Michael Bogdanowski this year.
Ramsey was especially high on sophomore cornerback Courtland Guillory. “Courtland Guillory is my favorite player on that squad as far as a dog that can bark back there in the secondary. I expect big things from that guy. I really do think that’s an NFL kid back there. Right now, I hope his body develops even more so than the monster he is.”
Guillory had a strong freshman year. He played in all 13 games, started 11, and earned SEC All-Freshman honors. He finished with 41 tackles (28 solo), seven pass breakups, and a tackle for loss. If he takes another step this season, the secondary could be one of the real strengths of the defense.
It wasn’t all positive for the defensive side, though. Junior defensive tackle David Stone is getting a ton of preseason hype and is already being projected by some as a possible top-10 pick next April.
Ramsey told fans to slow down a bit. “What has he done? He’s filled in. He hasn’t started a game. He’s been behind Dom Williams all those years.”
That’s a fair point. Stone has shown clear potential. Last season he earned a 76.4 overall PFF grade (No. 31 in the country), posted an 80.7 run defense grade, and had a 13.0 percent run-stop rate that ranked second among all FBS interior defensive linemen. He also recorded 26 pressures. The talent is obvious. But Ramsey’s right that Stone still has to prove it as a full-time starter over a full season. The production is there. The consistent starting résumé isn’t yet.
On the offensive side, Ramsey thinks John Mateer’s thumb injury last year was mostly a fluke and expects him to look more like the quarterback Oklahoma thought it was getting when he arrived with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State.
He also brought up the playoff loss to Alabama, where the Sooners led 17-0 and still lost. Ramsey called it a choke job and said it should serve as a wake-up call. Mateer came here to win big games, and that one got away.
Ramsey also had a measured take on the Jason Witten hire. A lot of people are excited about the former NFL star taking over the tight ends, but Ramsey pointed out the obvious.
“Jason Witten has not coached at this level yet. He hasn’t. We don’t know. Remember who excited everyone was by a guy named Demarco Murray who showed up and had NFL experience?”
That comparison lands. DeMarco Murray arrived with a big NFL résumé and left this offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs after the running backs averaged just 3.5 yards per carry last year.
Witten is walking into a full rebuild at the position. Hayden Hansen (Florida), Rocky Beers (Colorado State), and Jack Van Dorselaer (Tennessee) are all new. The talent and different body types are there, but Witten still has to prove he can coach them up at the college level.
Overall, Ramsey’s appearance was a good mix of optimism and reality checks. He loves the secondary and sees real upside with Guillory. He’s cautious on the Stone hype until it shows up as a full-time starter. He expects more from Mateer now that he’s healthy. And he’s not ready to crown the Witten hire just yet.
You can hear the full conversation with Jerry Ramsey on the latest episode of The Jones Report. It’s available for free on Apple, Spotify, and all the major podcast platforms. Subscribe for weekly Oklahoma coverage and leave a five-star review if you dig the show.
