How Oklahoma CB Courtland Guillory Made OU History Against Illinois State

Brent Venables proved last season he’s certainly not hesitant about starting a true freshman at cornerback.

But in a season opener? That’s extremely rare.

Yet, there was Courtland Guillory on Saturday night, less than one year out of high school, starting at corner for No. 18-ranked Oklahoma in the Sooners’ opening game of 2025.

“Courtland is, as you saw, he's very confident,” Venables said Monday night on his weekly coach’s show. “And confidence comes from (being) a tireless, relentless worker, and off the field and on the field, he's very prepared. So, you know, he also has played the game already (mentally), and so he anticipates.”

Guillory became only the second OU true freshman to start at cornerback in a season opener, joining P.J. Mbanasor in 2015. 

Guillory also is just the fourth OU true freshman to start a season opener as a defensive back, joining Mbanasor, Tony Jefferson (2010), Brendan Radley-Hiles (2018) and Billy Bowman Jr. (2021).

In the Sooners’ 35-3 victory over Illinois State on Saturday night, the 6-foot, 183-pound Guillory started opposite fourth-year junior Gentry Williams and played 34 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Guillory’s PFF grades ranged from solid to strong: 65.1 overall, 61.7 against the run, 64.7 in coverage and 77.0 in tackling. 

His receiver was targeted three times and he yielded just one catch for six yards with one pass breakup, and he finished with just one tackle. 

“He’s in the work,” Venables said Saturday night. “He spends a lot of time with the details. Jay (Valai), again, has done a great job. He’s a guy that, again, within this system, he plays within the system, understands where his help is, things of that nature. Just a lot of maturity mentally not to get spooked out in the moment and take all the practice habits that he’s created and take them to game day. And that’s easier said than done, and he looked like he was in great position. I think they called him on an interference and I thought he was in pretty good position.”

Last year, Eli Bowen emerged as the Sooners’ best cornerback even though he was a true freshman. Bowen shined in coverage and in tackling, too, and posted repeatedly good PFF numbers.

But even Bowen wasn’t a starter to begin the season. He broke into the starting lineup midway through the 2024 campaign.

Throughout August, as Bowen sat out due to injury, Guillory was talked about often and praised frequently by his coaches and teammates during training camp. 

“Man,” Williams said Monday, “(Guillory) has been amazing. Love his preparation. He’s came in, he’s prepared, he wants to get better, he takes every detail and he’s wide open — he listens, man. I’m so proud of him and everything he’s doing. And not just 

“He's very long, he's extremely physical, and then he has great poise under pressure,” Venables said.

And no doubt Guillory will only get better the more he learns under Venables and Valai, and the more he plays in games. Everybody gets better with more reps.

Just go back to the first week of preseason camp when he unexpectedly made an appearance at one of OU’s post-practice media sessions. He looked around, wide-eyed, and even offered to hold one questioner’s microphone.

“Ah, it’s my first time doing this,” he said with a smile. “They told me to come outside, I'm like, what, me?”

In full context, maybe Guillory has even surprised himself a little bit.

“Honestly, I feel like every day I'm getting, you know, a little bit better and better,” Guillory said at the time. “You know, I'm just trying to stack the days, like coach said, and be ready when my number’s called.”