Former Players Come Home to Stoops? Staff

By Dillon Stanley, Cecily Tawney, Micah Thompson and Samm Zombolo // SoonerSports.com

Preparing for a new opponent week by week is a long process. From reviewing film of the previous game, to preparing for the next opponent on the schedule, many hours are spent preparing by the coaches.

While everyone knows head coach Bob Stoops and his assistants, they aren't the only ones spending countless hours, beginning early in the morning and lasting late into the night, preparing for the daily grind of working in collegiate football. The graduate assistants and quality control coaches are arguably some of the unsung heroes of any college football program.

Oklahoma has six individuals working as either graduate assistants or quality control for offense, defense and special teams. Of the six, four played at OU under head coach Bob Stoops: offensive GA Joey Halzle, defensive GA Corey Callens, offensive quality control coach Austin Woods and special teams quality control coach C.J. Ah You.

The staff begins their week as early as 5:30 a.m. on Mondays preparing for the day of practice, watching film and studying the opponents' schemes and coverages. Some of the staff assists with recruiting tasks throughout the day, such as writing letters to recruits, managing social media interactions with recruits and returning e-mails.

The support staff is also involved with making cards and scripts for the scout team at practice. Attending staff and position meetings is one of the last tasks the staff encounters before practice begins.

“We are here to help the coaches prepare for the week, whether it be drawing plays or breaking down film,” Woods said. “We just help with whatever they need to get done before practice.”

Woods is new to the Sooners' staff, but is no stranger to the program after finishing a four-year career at OU where he was a three-time All-Big 12 Academic First Team selection. Woods was also honored with the Bob Kalsu Award, which is given to the Oklahoma football player who has been an inspiration to the program. During his playing career, Woods waged a successful battle to beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

The majority of the work that the group does during practices is done with scout team. They prepare for the day of practice by charting plays from the week's opponent and making sure that the scout team correctly runs those plays to give the Sooner starters the correct reads and feel for what the opponent is trying to do.

Halzle, a former OU quarterback now in his fifth year on the Sooners staff after finishing his playing career in 2008, is responsible for the offensive side of things during practices.

“Scout team preparation is definitely one of the most important aspects of our job,” Halzle said. “Just making sure that they are getting all of the right looks is what we are in charge of. It is very important the offense is seeing the right looks.”

Halzle was a three-year letter winner at Oklahoma, during which he appeared in 13 career games. He demonstrated the ability to rise to the occasion, especially in 2007 when he came in for an injured Sam Bradford on the road at Texas Tech and completed 21 of his 41 pass attempts, totaling 291 yards and two touchdowns.

Halzle

While many hours through the week are dedicated to the opponent, the job doesn't end there. The support staff is essential for game day, as well.

The staff has responsibilities that begin as soon as the team wakes up at the team hotel by preparing for walk-through. For home games, the staff members are busy assisting with different recruiting tasks that are needed leading up to kickoff.

During the game, they are in the press box and all have different responsibilities from spotting to charting plays and calls. Even once the score has been settled and the stadium has emptied, the support staff is still busy putting in data from the game and reviewing film before preparing for another all-day affair on Sunday.

Much like the sacrifices the players endure to be a part of a tradition-rich program like Oklahoma, the support staff also sacrifices many hours away from their families to be at the office preparing for the upcoming week.

Graduate assistants are also required to be enrolled in graduate courses in order to be compliant with NCAA regulations. This puts more of a workload on them to not only complete the necessary tasks involved with football, but also stay on top of the requirements for graduate school and balance family time.

“For me, I have a unique situation like C.J., we both have families,” said Callens. “At times that can be difficult to juggle because of the capacity we work in. The coaching part is the fun part. That is not hard. The preparation can be challenging when you are trying to juggle that and finding time with your family.”

Callens began his career at Oklahoma as a defensive lineman, where he served as a four-year letterwinner and was apart of the 2000 national championship team. He was picked up as a free agent by the Baltimore Ravens in 2001. After time with the Ravens organization, he was a member of the Carolina Panthers and the Miami Dolphins. Callens then returned to the Oklahoma program as an assistant strength coach in 2007 before becoming a graduate assistant in 2013.

Callens

Another unique challenge that pertains specifically to Woods is that he is now coaching players that used to be teammates. While demanding respect and showcasing authority over former teammates would seem to have the potential to be a difficult situation, Woods says that isn't the case.

“It's actually been good,” he said. “I've always wanted to coach and my teammates knew that, so it's been a pretty easy transition. They definitely respect what I do and what I ultimately want to do, so it's been good.”

Even through the grind of the work hours and time away from loved ones, along with trying to balance graduate school, the experience is a privilege to those on the Oklahoma support staff to be a part of one of the nation's top programs.

“Just still being around the game is great because otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to after I finished playing,” Halzle said. “Just being in a great program like Oklahoma is beyond rewarding,”

Callens echoed those sentiments.

“I started playing football when I was a young kid, like a lot of these guys, and it hard to get rid of that passion and that involvement,” he said. “I just want to have fun and at the same time promote my program and build on an opportunity to become the best coach I can be by taking advantage of the opportunities I have been provided.”

For the four on staff the played under Stoops, it is special to them that they have been given the opportunity to continue to be a part of the program even after their playing days have ended.

“Playing for Coach Stoops, I had a blast,” Ah You said. “I wouldn't have rather played for another guy. I enjoyed myself here at Oklahoma, and that's the reason why I wanted to come back and work for him.”

Ah You returned to Oklahoma as the Sooners special teams quality control coach position after spending time in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams. A letterwinner in 2005 and 2006, Ah You played in 26 games for OU, starting 21. He recorded 11 career sacks and 88 tackles during his career and was drafted in the seventh round by the Buffalo Bills in 2007.

Ah You

There are many obvious reasons for the hard work and countless these members of the Oklahoma coaching staff put in. The four Oklahoma graduates all feel a sense of pride in continuing the excellence of the Sooners storied football program. At the same time, they want to continue to grow as coaches and learn from some of the best in the country.

“I just want to be a sponge and try to learn as much as I can from all aspects,” Ah You said. “The more you know and the more you can do the better you'll be in the future. I just want to eventually be the best defensive line coach I can be. That's the ultimate goal.”