Improved linebacker play will be an integral part of a better defense for the Oklahoma Sooner football team in 2019.

Kenneth Murray was a bright spot in a beleaguered defense last season. He was picked as the Big 12 Preseason Defensive player of the year. Last year, he was a second-team All-Big 12 pick

Murray was second in the Big 12, averaging 11.1 tackles a game (he was 13th in the nation). A starter for every game the last two seasons, Murray has 20 tackles for loss.

 “It’s been good, we look pretty good,” Murray said of fall drills. “Obviously, going through camp, it’s been a grind. We just grind it out; every day we’re trying to improve. That’s the biggest thing right now is to just grind it out and improve every day and we’ll get there as a group.”

OU lost Curtis Bolton, who averaged 9.9 tackles a game which was third in the Big 12 and 22nd in the nation, to graduation.

New inside linebacker coach Brian Odom and Ruffin McNeil, who is coaching outside linebackers, think their linebacker corps will be much improved.

Caleb Kelly will line up on the inside with Ryan Jones and Mark Jackson, Jr. on the outside. DaShaun White, Nik Bonitto and Levi Draper look to provide depth.

“We’ve really progressed since the spring and we’re light years from where we were then,” said Odom. “I know it’s cliché, but we’re nowhere near where we want to be. But this is a group that is resilient, they’re willing, they don’t have egos. And it’s a group that I have a lot of confidence in saying that they’re going to continue to improve throughout the year. The biggest thing that we want to see is great effort, playing very physical and playing our scheme. And as we move forward throughout the year, hopefully we see improvement each and every week.”

 “The rush group has developed from spring to summer to fall camp,” McNeill said. “We still have a couple of weeks to go before our first game, but they’ve done a good job of improving. I feel good about our youth, I feel good about our athleticism, and we’re in a good spot right now. We have a lot of days left. We need those days, but I’m proud of the way they’ve progressed.”

Kelly, a senior, was injured and missed most of spring practice. He started the last five games of 2018 and had 61 tackles on the year.

Jackson, also a senior, started seven games last season and had 43 tackles.

Jones is a sophomore who started three games last year and 20 tackles.

White, a former U.S. Army All-America, played in 14 games as a freshman last year.

“The linebacker rooms are looking really strong,” White said. “I’ve only been here for a year, but we look really strong overall. There’s a lot of competition at every position and there’s a lot of guys stepping up and making plays. I think that is giving us a lot of depth. Just from a fall camp standpoint for me personally, I think things are going really well. Just for the whole defense, I’m confident right now. The way we’re moving and the direction we’re moving in, we’re doing a lot of good things.”

Bonitto is a redshirt freshman who played in three games last year. Under new redshirt rules, you can play in three games without losing a year of eligibility. He was a four-star recruit out of high school.

Draper, a sophomore who was also a four-star recruit, played in all 14 games last season but mostly on special teams.

Incoming freshman linebackers include David Ugwoegbu, a four-star recruit; and Joseph Wete, also a four-star recruit.

OU has eight returning linebackers who lettered and all of them played in at least 10 games. The returnees account for 312 tackles last season.