Why OU football's Jaren Kanak is 'not threatened' by competition for starting LB spot

The Oklahoman
NORMAN — With the transfer portal, it’s easy for players to jump ship at the first sight of competition for playing time.
But that isn’t an issue for Jaren Kanak.
The sophomore hopes to be OU’s starting middle linebacker this season, although he’ll have to earn it. The spot is up for grabs following the addition of Konnor Near, who earned All-American honors last season at Division II powerhouse Ferris State.
Kanak and Near will compete for starting honors during fall camp, which began on Thursday. And while nothing is guaranteed for Kanak, he has welcomed the competition.
“I think it’s the thief of all joy, comparing yourself,” OU head coach Brent Venables said. “But Jaren, he doesn’t go there. .. He’s not threatened by anyone else. He’s very much an inside-out competitor, and a lot of people are not like that.”
Kanak has always been up for a challenge.
Linebacker Jaren Kanak played in all 13 games for the Sooners.
The former four-star prospect was mostly used as a wildcat quarterback at Hays High (Kansas), where he set single-season school records for rushing yards (1,615) and scoring (142 points) as a senior.
But OU recruited Kanak as a linebacker, and he had to learn the position as a freshman.
Kanak played in all 13 games for the Sooners, although it was in a limited role. Still, he showed flashes of potential and finished with 24 tackles (one for loss).
Kanak figured to be next in line for OU’s starting middle linebacker spot following the departure of David Ugwoegbu, who transferred to Houston on Jan. 24.
But the Sooners placed an emphasis on getting deeper at the position this offseason, and they accomplished that by adding Near on May 4.
Near racked up 66 tackles (6.5 for loss) and two sacks last season while leading Ferris State to its second straight Division II championship. And while the jump to Power Five football is a big one, the redshirt senior has already received high praise from Venables.
“I wanted a guy that can line up and play winning football for us,” Venables said. “Konnor is a guy who’s going to bring instincts, toughness and physicality. He’s going to be able to lead a defense. … High expectations.”
Kanak has also received his fair share of praise this fall, though.
New OU linebacker Konnor Near had 66 tackles (6.5 for loss) and two sacks last season while leading Ferris State to its second straight Division II championship.
The second-year Sooner has made strides since arriving in Norman, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“He's come a long way,” OU defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “He's seeing things a lot better. So much of playing defense is vision and reacting and looking at the right things over and over and over again. … He’s put so much into it.”
Even if Kanak isn’t named OU’s starting middle linebacker, he’s expected to have a much larger role than last season.
The 6-foot-2, 232-pound sophomore has the speed and strength to be a playmaker, and he’ll only get better as he continues to learn the position.
But most importantly, Kanak is fueled by his competitiveness. And that hasn't changed despite the increased depth at his position.
"You've got to win in the mind before you win on the field, and Jaren has done that," Venables said. "We'll see how that goes through competition and camps and those sorts of things. But he's earned the trust of the coaches and teammates through his work and his consistency.
"He just has great habits. When you have great habits, it leads to a lot of success. And I think that's what's in Jaren's future."
Oklahoma’s Austin Stogner (81) is pictured at OU media day in Norman, Okla., on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.
Tight end depth
It's no secret who the Sooners' top tight end will be this upcoming season.
That guy is Austin Stogner, who began his career with OU before spending last season at South Carolina.
Stogner boasts 67 career catches for 864 and nine touchdowns, making him a prime candidate for the Sooners' go-to tight end. Still, OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby hopes to develop depth at the position during fall camp.
"I'm looking forward to (having) some quality depth in that room," Lebby said. "Fall camp for those guys and the next 20 practices are gonna be huge just like for everybody else. But creating depth in that room is gonna be important.”
OU doesn't have much experience at tight end outside of Stogner.
The most experienced backup is redshirt junior Blake Smith, who appeared in five games for Texas A&M last season after recovering from an offseason injury. He finished with two catches for one yard.
Smith looked good in OU's annual Red-White spring game on April 22, though. His lone catch was a 25-yard touchdown, which he hauled in despite wearing a club on his right hand.
"He's been an athlete his whole life," OU tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley said. "Catching the ball is just easy for him. ... Now it's just a matter of him picking up the offense and being comfortable in what we're doing as fast as possible."
Then there's second-year tight ends Kaden Helms and Jason Llewellyn.
Helms made one catch for four yards in three games last season, while Llewellyn mostly played on special teams and didn't make any catches.
Both Helms and Llewellyn will miss the start of fall camp, according to Venables. Helms (meniscus) doesn't have a timeline, but Llewellyn (various injuries) is expected to return to full-contact practice soon.
Depth at tight end continues to be an emphasis for OU. But as the Sooners begin fall camp, Finley is confident in his group.
"I feel great about (the group)," Finley said. "They've all done a great job of picking up the offense. ... I'm extremely proud of the work they've put in this spring and summer. I feel like they're in a good spot."
OU tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley speaks during a media day for the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) football team in Norman, Okla., Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.
Quotables
Venables on creating a competitive culture: "The last thing I want is to deal with prima donnas. ... I’m not compromising who we are. And for our players, what I want them to know is competition is going to make everybody better. My job is to bring in somebody every year to beat you out. That’s the vision of a championship program."
Venables on pitching OU's move to the SEC to recruits: "It gets the (recruits) charged up. ... I love creating vision. I love talking about the future, and they like it when you can create vision for them. They can see it. It’s exciting."
Lebby on the state of OU's offense: "I think we’re in a lot better place today than we were a year ago today. ... But the next part of it is, going into fall camp, we want to create great efficiency. We’ve got to be able to run the football whenever we want to and when we need to. I think doing those two things will help us tremendously."
Lebby on freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold: "He had a good spring. He’s had a really good summer. ... He’s spent a ton of time in the building. (He's) just finding ways to create experience and create a voice as he’s working through it with Dillon (Gabriel) obviously being the guy.”
Roof on what areas OU's defense needs to improve: "Our third- and fourth-down defense and our red-zone defense, if you had to narrow it down. You want to improve in every area. ... But if you look at things, those are the biggies."