Jarrick Bernard-Converse Is More Confident Going Into 2021 Than Ever Before

STILLWATER – Sunday’s practice concluded the third practice of Fall Camp for Oklahoma State, as well as marked the first practice in pads for the Pokes.

One of the major storylines the past few days as been the defense wreaking a ton of havoc all over the field and forcing multiple turnovers the first three days.

The 6-1, 200-pound senior out of Shreveport (LA) Evangel Christian has been bounced around the field a bit during his time in Stillwater but is entering his second-straight season as a corner. He started all 11 games at corner in 2020 and was tied for the team-lead in pass break ups with seven.

He told the media after practice on Sunday he’s more confident this season than he ever has before based on experience.

“I’m more confident than I have ever been before because I understand the job and I understand more football. I’ve just been studying a lot more, so I feel pretty good about it and I’m ready to see what this year brings.”

You can definitely see the confidence showing up just in the first three days of practice as he’s been all over the field during coverage drills, as well as being a part of a couple of turnovers, one being the cover photo of this article.

“When the ball goes up, it’s either my ball or nobodies, that’s my mindset,” Bernard-Converse said. “When we’re both going up, it’s a 50/50 ball, but I want to come down with it 100%. So, that’s just how I look at it, I just go up with mindset that I’m going to attack the ball and not let the receiver come down with it.”

While Bernard-Converse has one of the starting corner roles, there’s still a rather glaring hole following the departure of Rodarius Williams to the NFL in the spring. Expect to see guys like redshirt senior Christian Holmes and sophomores Korie Black and Jabbar Muhammad.

“They’re a lot better than they were last year when they first got here,” Bernard said of the younger corners. “They have learned more; they play the ball better and they just look better than they did last year. So, I’m confident those guys will have a good year as well.”

Holmes played in all 11 games in 2020, starting in the final two. While it wasn’t an incredibly productive year, Holmes earned a ton of experience in the new system and is having a solid start to Fall Camp.

As for Black and Muhammad, they greatly benefited from a year in the system, as well as their first full offseason weight training season with Rob Glass. Both had stellar springs and will definitely play a role this season.

“I feel good about it,” Jarrick Bernard said of who the other starting corner back will be. “We have a lot of experienced guys now; it’s a lot of competition and everybody’s hungry to make plays and standout. So, I think it’s going to be a very good year for [the corners] and I’m confident in the secondary.”