It's been a slow progression for Trell Harris to return from an offseason procedure that kept him out for most of the spring, but he's making his way back effectively in practice.
Harris, an Oklahoma football wide receiver, made an 'explosive' play during practice Friday, said OU coach Brent Venables. Harris, a transfer from Virginia , has been working back from a cleanup procedure and has methodically worked his way back to top form.
He seems to still be somewhat limited, but Venables noting his big play in practice is a great sign that Harris is on track to recover well before the Sooners start the season Sept. 4 against UTEP.
Harris is part of the solution at wide receiver for OU, he's projected to be a starter this season and is already impressing the coaches — all while returning from an injury.
"Trell Harris, I think it was a 7-on-7 period, he got behind the defense, made an explosive play down the field today," Venables said. "That was great to see. Making competitive plays when there's turbulence and this, like we faced eight defenses last year in the top 30-35 in the country and so you're going to get some sticky coverage and there's going to be some turbulence.
"You got to be able to make plays in tight windows and when people are hanging on you, the competitive plays, and we've been better at that."
Tank Carrington's rapid improvement, weight gain
There have been a few freshmen that have been standing out this fall camp and among the defenders, Tank Carrington is exceeding expectations.
Carrington, an OU defensive lineman, is getting buzz from players and coaches about his improvement since arriving in the spring. Part of that improvement is his rapid weight and muscle gain.
Venables said Carrington arrived with around 245 pounds, but enters fall camp near 300 pounds, allowing him to be a candidate for some playing time in his freshman season.
"He's gained, give or take, 45 pounds since he's been here through a lot of hard work and dedication," Venables said. "Very consistent for a young guy… He's got good block rec, which is a kind of a foundational thing for defensive linemen. Everything happens so fast there. So, your ability to diagnose and recognize block recognition is really important so that you don't get knocked off the ball."
It seems Carrington's most-impressive trait so far is his block recognition before a play. It's a trait that is typically taught and wired into defenders later on, something that's not typical in freshmen.
Carrington is a former 3-star recruit in the 2026 class and appears to be a step ahead of others in his class because of his block recognition skills, which reminds Venables of two years ago, when he got stars Jayden Jackson and David Stone into the building.
"Like Jayden Jackson had it and David didn't," Venables said. "David was really powerful and was a pretty good pass rusher and he did some things naturally, but the fundamentals of block rec weren't quite there yet for him, which is more normal than not. Most guys, it's not."
Noah Best continues to impress as freshman
Earlier this week, Noah Best appeared to be the benefit of some precautionary DNPs as he got rotation on the Sooners' starting offensive line and is continuing to impress as a spring addition.
As a versatile freshman offensive lineman for the Sooners, Best has been getting starting snaps at right guard as the line does a slight shuffle without star left tackle Michael Fasusi , who seemed to be kept out of practice during the media session as a precaution.
Best, though, is quickly becoming reliable for his offense and coaches. Best got a lot of play as a tackle, but has been getting practice snaps at guard for the Sooners, subtly building the Sooners' offensive line depth at a few positions on the line.
"He's got a capacity mentally and a capacity to come compete every day," Venables said. "That's a little bit abnormal for a freshman… He's played different positions in the spring, and so we've been able to develop some depth without having depth in numbers. We've been able to develop some depth with position versatility.
"And Noah, his improvement and his consistency and his toughness, you know, his maturity that he's shown for young players really helped him. Earn some trust, and that's what it's about."
