Damonic Williams fitting in at OU, finding his footing

He had OU head coach Brent Venables sporting his No. 52 jersey during his portal recruitment. To say the expectations are going to be intense for defensive tackle Damonic Williams might be an understatement.

Williams, of course, picked OU after transferring from TCU. A lengthy second recruitment, big-time battle and won by the Sooners.

Williams has been on campus for the last couple of months. So far? So good. He’s finding his feel in Norman.

“That dude’s legs are massive, man,” said linebacker Danny Stutsman last week at SEC media days. “It’s like two of mine are one of his. He’s gonna be a great player for us. He came in right away, it kind of takes a little bit, but he’s earned that respect in the group.

“You kind of look at him, you see a natural leader. The system takes a second, but now he’s starting to get it. Throughout the summer, he’s taking every single day, he’s helping lead the group, lead the younger guys. It’s a great addition for the younger guys.”

Williams had a dynamic 2022 freshman season and followed that with quality numbers last season. Williams started all 12 games. He had 33 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks.

He almost hit the portal in the winter but went through more time with the Frogs. Once Williams hit in the spring, it was an all-out contest.

Battles that usually haven’t gone OU’s way. This time, though? It was OU standing on top. Now it’s about how quickly Williams can make that leap. Because, rest assured, that needs to happen. The figuring time out portion of his OU career needs to end now.

The Sooners need him to be a force. Sometimes the simple explanation is the best one.

“He’s going to bring toughness to our defense,” said safety Billy Bowman last week at SEC media days. “On that defensive line, especially. Stopping the run is what we need to do. We brought him in so he can do that.”

OK, time to see the Williams show at OU.

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