On June 12, OU’s recruiting class changed drastically, as Rivals Top 200 prospect Ron Tatum flipped from Texas to OU. While Tatum was a great grab for the Sooners, there was still another local prospect looming in Jalen Redmond. Redmond has had a rather steady rise to become one of Oklahoma’s best high school products. On July 29, however, Redmond ended any rumors of leaving the state by committing to OU at the ChampU BBQ.

Redmond is an incredibly exciting prospect. He stands at 6’3” and weighs in at around 235 pounds. In his junior year of at Midwest City High School, Redmond registered over 16 sacks.

The Breakdown:

Jalen Redmond is a FREAK, and his ability to get off of the line and get up the field is insane. While there were no pads in this clip, Redmond dominates his opposition. He is able to maintain control of his body in getting to the QB. Redmond goes inside, only to use his strength and leverage to bounce to the outside of the tackle.

Redmond once again shows his great strength and finesse against a tackle who looks to move before the “snap.” The Bull Rush isn’t necessarily the easiest thing in the world to do, but Redmond makes it look natural. While it once again is a non-padded workout, he understands he has an advantage in terms of height-weight-speed. Redmond stays up the field running straight at the lineman, then uses his hands once again to bounce outside.

This last clip shows another tool in Redmond’s belt. In today’s football (whether it be the NFL or NCAA) scheme versatility is a huge thing. In earlier years your best pass rusher only really lined up on the left side of the offensive line. Nowadays, defensive coordinators use their best pass rushers in multiple ways. The term “position versatility” comes to mind when this is brought up. When looking at Redmond’s film, he is natural at rushing off of both edges. Yet, it’s believable he can even be moved inside in a 3-4 type scheme if he gains some weight (which he will) and if OU employs that much during his time.

In regards to Jalen Redmond, OU should be thrilled that such a fine player is right in its backyard. He possesses great attributes for a 4-3 defensive end and could potentially fit into the JACK role that Ogbonnia Okoronkwo currently occupies. With the recent conversion back into that scheme, Mike Stoops and Calvin Thibodeaux could help Redmond understand the nuances of playing defensive end. OU looks like they got two really good defensive ends in Tatum and Redmond. All in all, this OU defensive line will be scary for the foreseeable future, especially on the edge.