The Sooners are adding Doug Deakin to manage their special teams.
When Jay Nunez unexpectedly left the Oklahoma staff in early February to take on the role of Alabama’s special teams coordinator, the Sooners suddenly had a critical assistant position to fill.
Nunez had served as the senior special teams analyst at Oklahoma for two seasons, and his departure wasn’t exactly mourned by the Sooner faithful. The team’s special teams performance in 2023, marked by several mishandled punts, inaccurate field goal kicking, and subpar punting, left much to be desired. Nonetheless, Brent Venables was content with Nunez’s contributions and reputation, making Nunez’s departure a surprise within the Switzer Center.
However, it didn’t take Venables and the Sooners long to find a replacement for Nunez. They are bringing on former San Diego State special teams coordinator Doug Deakin to the staff.
Deakin has had a consistent career trajectory, spending his entire collegiate playing and coaching tenure at San Diego State. He played for SDSU from 2007-2010 and transitioned directly into a coaching role as a graduate assistant from 2011-2014. Later, he shifted to a football operations role from 2015-2017 before returning to coaching in 2018 as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. From 2019-2023, he led an Aztec special teams unit that consistently ranked among the nation’s best.
Under Deakin’s guidance, San Diego State saw notable achievements, including leading the Mountain West in punting and kick return yards, winning national awards, and maintaining a top-ten special teams unit efficiency ranking for several seasons.
After the 2023 season, newly appointed head coach Sean Lewis did not retain Deakin’s services, making him a coaching free agent for the first time in seventeen seasons. However, Oklahoma secured Deakin’s talents, aiming to address the team’s notable struggles in the kicking game witnessed in 2023.
Deakin’s immediate focus will be on improving the Sooners’ kicking game, where Zach Schmit’s field goal accuracy and long-range attempts were problematic. The team is also integrating Florida State transfer Tyler Keltner and true freshman Liam Evans into the mix for the placekicking duties. Additionally, returning players Ben Anderson and Luke Elzinga, along with incoming freshmen, are expected to contribute to special teams, particularly in the return game.
