Brandon Hall Believes 'It's Just a Matter of Time' Before Oklahoma's Safeties are Difference Makers

NORMAN — It’s only a matter of time until Oklahoma’s defense is making plays on the back end.

At least that’s the belief of new safeties coach Brandon Hall.

The Sooners have to replace Pat Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell in 2022 after that duo got an overwhelming majority of the snaps at safety under Alex Grinch.

Familiar faces populate the room headlined by Key Lawrence and Billy Bowman, but that duo doesn’t have a ton of experience playing at safety specifically.

“There’s a lot of learning to do from not only a call perspective but from a football perspective,” Hall said on Monday. “Anytime you learn a new position you’re not only learning a defense, you’re learning how to understand the types of plays you’re going to get on that side of the football field.

“… Your eyes are in a different place for the first time and recognizing formations and plays goes into all of that.”

And though the entire unit is adjusting to the new defense, Hall said he’s confident that they’ll get up to speed quickly.

“I’m telling you, one day they’ll wake up and it’ll be like they’ve done it their whole lives,” Hall said. “And when that happens, I think that the group is a really good group of guys and the one thing they lack is the one thing that they’re going to build and that’s experience in the system.”

In the meantime, Hall said he’s seen great buy-in from the safeties to get fully up to speed on the new defensive playbook.

“I think the guys are excited,” Hall said. “We’re getting sacks, we’re getting stops, we’re getting turnovers. It’s just for us, just the little things. Just seeing the little nuances and little motions, whatever it is that’s a little off and contenting to adjust to those things.

“… But right now they’re excited man. They’re in there during the day on their own watching film, watching practice trying to get better.”

The players returning in-game experience know what it takes to improve, even if it’s at a different position, something which will help the group continue to improve. Hall said he’s just doing everything he can to be a resource for the safeties, as he’s excited to see what the end product will be for his unit next fall.

“I’ve been some places where you gotta worry about culture, you’ve gotta worry about this or that,” Hall said. “That’s not the issue.

“It’s just a matter of time for those guys to get it figured out. And when they do, it’s gonna be really neat to watch them play.”

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