Currently Oklahoma has a total of ten football players receiving eighteen preseason awards and accolades and Ronnie Perkins is listed for for three of those. The junior defensive end was named as OU’s only member of the preseason All-Big 12 team. He’s also on the watch list for the Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski awards.
It’s very reasonable to say that no member of Oklahoma’s defense has more potential going into 2020 that Perkins. That also means his potential suspension for the team is even more painful. One of three players suspended following last December’s Big 12 championship victory Perkins enters the season in limbo as to what his status is. He along with Trejan Bridges and Rhamondre Stevenson could be out for as many as five games to start the year.
The university has filed an appeal but due to the current pandemic the process is much slower than usual.
“I think that’s fair to say, that all of this has probably slowed this process down,” Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley said about the appeal back in May. “It’s still being discussed. I don’t think it’s going to get left unattended to, but I do believe it’s fair to say that has slowed it down. There’s obviously other priorities that are a lot higher right now for the people that make those decisions.”
Regardless, any time that Perkins misses will hurtful in year two of Alex Grinch’s installation of the Speed Defense. In two seasons with the Sooners he’s recorded 75 tackles, 21 for loss, and 11 sacks. His junior season is where he’s supposed to start maximizing on his development. This is the year where he transforms from being a support player on the defense to a leader. However, unless something changes, it looks like it’ll be a season that begins with him watching from the sidelines.
Perkins is one of 12 players from the conference to be named to the Bronko Nagurski watch list on Tuesday. That’s a shot to the heart for Sooner Nation because it shows just how much potential could be relegated to just being a spectator for nearly half the season.
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