The Linebacker Duo of Harper and Rodriguez Looks To Be Solid in 2021
STILLWATER – After losing linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga to the NFL, one of the bigger question marks about the Oklahoma State defense was how Devin Harper would fill the role. Ogbongbemiga was an All-Big 12 linebacker who finished second on the team with 81 tackles, and he made the Los Angeles Chargers’ 53-man roster last week. Big hole to fill.
In his first game as a true starter, super senior Devin Harper played quite well. He finished with nine total tackles, five of which were solo stops, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two quarterback hurries.
"We knew that he was fast, right? We've talked about that forever. That's been his strength,” said coach Gundy. “He settled down in my opinion, and he's not really a guy that's played more than about 20 plays a game, because he's played behind guys that are playing in the NFL and it didn't happen. He played better once he got into the rhythm of the game, which sometimes we see. That's the difficult thing about some players, some players get stuck behind somebody. That's why the transfer portal is such a cool thing for some kids. You get stuck behind somebody, don't get in a game, you don't get experience, you don't get in a rhythm, we might not ever know how good you are. Now, he just played one game, but he runs to the ball, and he plays aggressive, he likes football and he played pretty good. So, I'm excited about watching him."
Next to fellow super senior Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State once again has a chance to put out one of the best linebacker duos in the conference. Rodriguez recorded a career-high 15 total tackles, nine of which were solo stops, three quarterback hurries, and one forced fumble and pass breakup apiece.
In his weekly media availability on Monday, Mike Gundy was asked about the impact of super seniors on rosters this season. That would include both Harper and Rodriguez, with Harper arriving on campus and redshirting in 2016, and Rodriguez arriving on campus in 2017.
"Sure, it's the same theory. It's just like the transfer. You get a super senior that doesn't count on your 85 [scholarship limit], that's another body that's got a lot of experience,” said coach Gundy. “I heard our guys in the office talking about it a month ago, the majority of the teams that are doing it are defensive guys returning. Like Malcolm Rodriguez had 15 tackles for us and nine solos. Pretty big deal if he wasn't there, if he would have gone on. So, just him being a super senior. Devin Harper played really, really good — super senior. If you have three or four super seniors who are essentially a freebie, they don't count on your numbers, and they're defensive guys, defenses are going to play better."
The duo of Harper and Rodriguez looks to be a promising one this season. Will it be as good as the duo of Amen and Malcolm who combined for 162 total tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hurries, 5.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries? We’ll know in about a month.
"Probably not much. I wouldn’t say there's much different there other than Malcolm (Rodriguez) is good,” coach Gundy said of the difference between the duo of Ogbongbemiga and Rodriguez and the now Harper and Rodriguez. “Malcolm's Malcolm. We didn't know anything about Devin (Harper) except what we see in practice because he hadn't played a lot as I just mentioned. Amen (Ogbongbemiga) is playing for the Chargers, he made the pros. So, we lost a pro player. Now we put Devin in behind him and he played pretty good. But it's early, okay? We'll see where we're at in October. First of October we'll know a lot more about our football team. I'll know a lot more about Devin.”