Doug Deakin revitalizes Oklahoma's special teams unit

Brent Venables' first couple of seasons as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners were plagued by poor special teams play. That rebuild doesn't get as much discussion as the defense rebuild, but it's been quite a turnaround.

The Sooners ranked No. 72 in special teams efficiency in 2022. That percentage fell to No. 127 in 2023. Then Venables made an under-the-radar decision. He hired Doug Deakin to lead special teams after spending six seasons at his alma mater, the San Diego Aztecs.

His first season saw big improvement as Oklahoma jumped to No. 41. Last season, the unit moved to No. 10 and kicker Tate Sandell won the Lou Groza Award. This season, they've fallen to No. 38, but a blocked punt for a touchdown was a key part of Oklahoma's upset of the No. 1 Texas Longhorns.

Venables revealed what stood out about Deakin when he hired him.

"We just looked at who was doing well in college football," Venables said. "Our former special teams coordinator was able to kind of testify on behalf of Doug as a coach and character reference. Certainly looked at his body of work. What he had done. Didn't know how interested he would really be just because his background was all in the state of California. We immediately hit it off."

Deakin's impact has become an important part of Oklahoma's turnaround under Venables, giving the Sooners another way to win games when the offense struggles to find consistency. From Sandell's reliable kicking to the blocked punt that helped swing the Texas game, special teams has delivered in moments that can change the course of a season. The unit's current ranking leaves room for improvement, but its recent history shows how far it has come from the struggles of 2023.