By Will Vandervort.
Hook ‘em Horns!
That’s what Clemson linebacker Kellen Jones was saying to the media following Monday’s practice as the 17th-ranked Tigers prepare for the Oklahoma Sooners in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29.
“I cannot stand Oklahoma,” the redshirt junior said.
It was a surprising statement to hear from the middle linebacker, who at one time wore the Sooners’ crimson and white colors.
“I was already a (Texas) fan prior to going there, but UT was the only school not to recruit me out of high school in Texas so I wanted to get back at them. I made a wrong decision,” the Houston, Texas native said.
Jones says he is even more of a Texas fan these days after an experience at Oklahoma that he described as not the best. He will have a chance to get back at the Sooners as possibly the starting middle linebacker in the Russell Athletic Bowl due to Stephone Anthony’s first-half suspension. The All-ACC linebacker will miss the first two quarters due to a targeting foul that disqualified him for the fourth quarter in the Tigers’ win over South Carolina last month.
Jones said Oklahoma was not the right fit for him as far the social environment goes and the coaching staff overall.
“It just did not fit my personality or my thought process and my goals in life and what I wanted to do in college,” he said. “My plan overall, Oklahoma just did not fit me.”
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker came to Clemson from Oklahoma in 2012 after playing in 12 games for the Sooners in 2011. He had 10 tackles as a backup, while also contributing on special teams.
There are just a few guys still left on the Oklahoma team that Jones knew from his one season there, like left tackle Tyrus Thompson and left guard Adam Shead, but he has not stayed in contact with any of them.
“I went against both those guys in practice. I got a little bit of work with them so I’m not too intimidated by them,” he said smiling.
Though his experience at Oklahoma was not anything to write home about, there was one thing he is appreciative of – it allowed him to meet Brent Venables. The Tigers’ defensive coordinator recruited Jones to Oklahoma and was his position coach as well.
Jones remembers how Venables would call him over in practice and set up a play for him to disrupt things for the offense.
“I would get the offensive coaches mad at them,” Jones said.
Venables spent 13 seasons as the Sooners’ linebackers coach, including nine of those years as the defensive coordinator. Four years he shared with Bob Stoops’ brother, Mike, before running the show by himself the remaining five years he was in Norman, Okla.
“That is where he built his career,” Jones said. “That is where it all began for him after college. I think he invested like 15 years there and built his tenure there so this is a very big game for him. We can see how serious he is in practice right now.”
Jones admitted Venables was a big influence on why he came to Clemson, but at the same time he said he was not going to follow one coach and let that be his decision.
“I did that at Oklahoma with him and it turned out I did not like it too well. I did not want to follow just because of the coach because the coach does not have control of everything,” Jones said. “I wanted to find out about the academic program. I wanted to see Coach (Dabo) Swinney and his mindset about me being a student athlete, not just an athlete.
“I wanted to get the overall perspective and disposition as far as the football experience and being a student – a program that develops young men as well as good football players.”
Jones said he knew about Clemson in high school because he had seen them play a few times and he always thought it would be fun to play for Swinney because of his galvanizing nature and the way he coached the game with so much emotion and fire.
When Venables came to Clemson to be Swinney’s new defensive coordinator in 2012, it intrigued the middle linebacker so he had to come see Clemson for itself. The rest you can say is history.
Now Jones can say Hook ‘em Horns again, and who knows, maybe he will get the opportunity to flash his childhood team’s iconic sign to the Sooners in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
“I want to get back at those guys for sure. I cannot stand Oklahoma,” he said.