Kendal Daniels' versatility will be key against Michigan

NORMAN — Last Saturday’s opener wasn’t Kendal Daniels’ first experience playing at Oklahoma. But it was his first time wearing the crimson and cream.

The senior had played in Norman before as an Oklahoma State Cowboy in 2022, when he was a freshman. The Sooners won that game, 28-13, keeping Daniels from experiencing a win at Owen Field. But he was able to snag his first win against Illinois State and did it while starting at the cheetah position.

It was a solid debut and introduction for Daniels.

“It was good to get in The Palace and play again,” Daniels said Monday.” … Last time I played in here, I was in a different color, so it felt good to be in red.”

Now, Daniels will be tasked with playing a key role this Saturday. No. 15-ranked Michigan comes to Norman for a marque showdown at 6:30 p.m. (ABC). With Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood making just his second collegiate start, and his first road start, the Sooners will need to do everything to keep him off balanced.

Daniels will be critical in doing that.

Daniels showed his versatility at the cheetah position against Illinois State. He logged 31 snaps, per PFF, and was all over the field. He logged 14 snaps in the box as a linebacker, three snaps on the defensive line and 13 snaps in the clot corner. He finished with three tackles and a pass break up.

“It was fun to be back out there,” Daniels said. “It felt like I was playing safety again, so it was fun to get out there and get my feet in the ground and actually get down and play football against somebody else other than John Mateer.”

One thing he didn’t do was blitz the quarterback. That’s something he specialized in at Oklahoma State. Through three seasons he logged 28 quarterback hurries and nine sacks, with six of those coming last season. Notably, Michigan’s offensive line gave up two sacks in last week’s win over New Mexico.

At the cheetah spot, the Sooners have plenty of options with Daniels on any given play — they can blitz him against Underwood, drop him back into coverage or use him in the box to stop the run and keep Michigan off balance. That’ll be particularly helpful if secondary players like Eli Bowen and Kendel Dolby are unable to play.

The coaching staff brought Daniels to Oklahoma for games like this.

“My favorite part of him is how quickly he earned the respect of his teammates through hard work, humility, being respectful to the locker room and that’s a very hard transition as we know,” OU coach Brent Venables said Saturday. “The money had nothing to do with it. I think he just was looking for a fresh start and a good, strong finish to his collegiate career and I just have a great appreciation for his willingness — he wants to be coached, he wants to learn, he’s got a great skillset, he understands ball.

“I know I bragged on him several times early — his capacity is pretty strong and he plays three positions for us and he plays them all at a pretty high level.”

Michigan will be a much-stiffer challenge for the Sooners compared to the season opener. The Sooners will need Daniel both for his experience and his versatility.

“It’s going to be a big game, and it’s going to be fun, and everyone has high expectations for both teams, so it’s going to be to go out there and play against a really great team,” Daniels said.

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