Jalen

Redmond

Redmond (6'2/279) saw limited action in 2021 thanks in part to a knee injury suffered in late September. The redshirt junior appeared in eight games for the Sooners last season, totaling 11 tackles, 29 quarterback pressures and three sacks. Redmond scored a 42-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery to beat Iowa State last season, and will look to show more big playmaking ability heading into 2022.

Redmond (6'2/279) was in the right place at the right time, as Iowa State QB Brock Purdy scrambled just past the line of scrimmage near midfield on a 3rd-and-21 play before sustaining a big hit. The ball popped right to Redmond, who scooped it in stride and returned it without being touched for a touchdown to give the Sooners a 14-7 lead with :09 seconds left in the first half. Outside of a 74-yard scramble from QB Caleb Williams it was the Sooners’ defense that made the game’s biggest plays, taking the lead with Redmond’s return and sealing the win with an interception near the goal line with :15 seconds remaining. Oklahoma (10-1) remains in the driver’s seat in the Big XII heading into a Bedlam showdown next week against Oklahoma State.

Redmond (6'2/279), has been in on 89 snaps this season, and according to Pro Football Focus, enjoyed his best game of the season in Week 3 against Nebraska. Redmond totaled eight quarterback pressures and one sack in last week’s win against Nebraska and recorded seven sacks in 2019. It’s unknown how much time Redmond will miss, but we know he won’t be on the field for Saturday’s Week 4 matchup against West Virginia.

Per the police affidavit obtained by The Norman Transcript, the 6-foot-3, 278-pound Redmond was pulled over after an officer observed an improper right turn and a drifting in the lane. He admitted to drinking and agreed to take a field sobriety test, the results of which led to his ultimate arrest. According to Cleveland County jail records, Redmond was booked at just after 3:30 in the morning. We’ll have to wait and see how Oklahoma handles discipline on this one. This past season, Redmond led the Sooners with 6.5 sacks while recording 11 tackles for loss.

Redmond (6'3/266) has had issues with blood clots in the past, but OU HC Lincoln Riley said on Monday that his current health concern is not related. The redshirt freshman had played in the first 11 games of the season before staying back in Norman this past weekend while the rest of the team traveled for their Bedlam date with Oklahoma State. Redmond logged 16 tackles (7.0 for loss) and four sacks during the regular season. His status for the conference title game figures to clarify in the leadup to kickoff.

Wild card is a good way of putting it, as Redmond flashed brilliance in his freshman season after signing as a four-star recruit, but also missed all but three games because of blood clots. "...All signs point to Redmond being good to go when the Sooners open camp in August,” Athlon Sports writes. “If the redshirt freshman can work his way into playing shape, OU will gain a desperately needed disruptor.” It’d be a big boon for the title-contending Sooners, for sure.

Sooners HC Lincoln Riley announced the news on Saturday. Redmond, originally expected to miss the entire season, ended up appearing in three games this year after he was medically cleared in October. A recurrence of the issue has caused him to be shut down. Because he only appeared in three games, he’ll take a redshirt this year. A four-star recruit, Redmond was ranked as the No. 8 weakside defensive end in the country.