Oklahoma redshirt senior linebacker Kendal Daniels speaks on inside linebackers coach Nate Dreiling, status on the OU defense after transferring from Oklahoma State.
Kendal Daniels played three seasons in Stillwater before hopping to the other side of the Bedlam rivalry.
The redshirt senior linebacker committed to Oklahoma on Jan 6, nearly one month after entering the transfer portal. After recording 240 tackles, 7.5 sacks and five interceptions at Oklahoma State, Daniels hopes to add a boost to an already impressive linebacker room in Norman.
Players in the transfer portal have plenty of options for landing places, yet one thing drew Daniels to Oklahoma above all else.
“Coach (Brent) Venables is the guy,” Daniels said at media availability on Wednesday. “Everything that he said on my visit is what he says to the whole team. I take that into account. I'm really thankful to have him. He was a big part in why I came here, and I thank him for being the same guy that he was when he was recruiting.
“He wasn't telling me things that I needed to hear. He was actually telling me things that I needed to work on. And I felt like I needed that, so just him being the same person on and off the field.”
Venables assuming the role of defensive play caller in 2025, as well as recent additions to the defensive staff aim to refine OU’s defense and make the program a destination for defensive recruits and players in the portal. While deepening his relationship with Venables, Daniels has connected with the new coaches as well.
“(Wes Goodwin) is great,” Daniels said. “(He’s a) smart dude, he’s my guy. Just meeting with him and talking to him, he's been part of great defenses. Being able to talk to him and Coach Venables about Clemson, and seeing all the guys that they’ve coached has just been crazy.”
Goodwin was hired earlier this year as a defensive analyst, reuniting with Venables after the pair spent years coaching together at Clemson. The Tigers won the National Championship in 2016 and 2018 with top-ranked defenses both years.
“It's a crazy coaching staff,” Daniels said. “I'm just lucky … Being in the room with those guys and being able to learn from them. They've come from different backgrounds, coached different people. They all come together to make it all work.”
Oklahoma is looking to bounce back in a major way from its 2024 season (6-7). It takes time for new coaches and a new roster to come together, and spring practice is one of the earliest glimpses of how things are progressing towards the goal of improvement. But Daniels is embracing his new program just like he embraced a position switch halfway into his college career–he played safety in high school and eventually switched to linebacker at Oklahoma State. His experience and adaptability are welcome qualities to the defensive unit looking to be as sharp as possible in 2025.
“Being able to play multiple positions was something that I always wanted to do,” Daniels said. “I feel like I'm getting back to my safety roots, you know, just being able to move around a lot. I feel like last year I just played new linebacker, so I was in a transition, I was learning.
“But now, I feel like I'm forming to my body, and being able to move around pretty good with my body.”
Daniels is adjusting to being a Sooner instead of a Cowboy, but Oklahoma’s welcoming his size and skills on the defense with open arms. In turn, he’s soaking up everything he can from the coaches that pulled him to this program months ago.
“I'm blessed, highly blessed,” Daniels said. “I thank God every day for putting me in this predicament.”
