Will it be the well-traveled veteran? Or the redshirt freshman who's a little on the skinny side? Or the heralded hot shot just out of high school?
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Just who will win the starting job at defensive end?
Oh, you thought we were talking about quarterbacks. No, this is about the forgotten story line of Oklahoma's impending fall camp. The defensive end and quarterback battles share an interesting parallel and might be just as important to OU's success this fall.
Three talented defensive ends — Larry Birdine, C.J. Ah You and Calvin Thibodeaux — graduated, leaving a gaping hole on the depth chart.
The vets, Alonzo Dotson and John Williams, each have had hit-and-miss careers coming into their senior seasons. Combined, the two have only 18 career tackles.
OU has other options at defensive end. Auston English has shown himself to be capable. Redshirt freshman linebacker Jeremy Beal got an audition at the position last spring, and tackle Adrian Taylor could get a look as well.
Coaches went hard after DEs in the last recruiting class, signing Muskogee's Jonte Bumpus, Lawton MacArthur's David Anderson and Frank Alexander from Baton Rouge, La. Any of them could have a shot at playing time, though none weighs more than 235 pounds.
The Sooners' secondary could be the strength of the defense. But without the ends putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks — and there are some good ones on the schedule, from Texas' Colt McCoy to Missouri's Chase Daniel to Texas Tech's Graham Harrell, among others — the defensive backs will be fighting for their lives in coverage.
Reggie Smith's only chance at being the postseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year — a preseason honor he was given by the media last week — relies on the help of those up front.
The Sooners will be better at defensive tackle, and they're loaded with potential at linebacker. So the only void is at end.
The seniors will get the first shot, and they've both shown flashes of strong play. But flashes won't hold up over 12 games.
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Defensive end Alonzo Dotson is one of the candidates who could help fill the void left by the graduation of Larry Birdine, C.J. Ah You and Calvin Thibodeaux for the Sooners. BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN
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