Motley Hitting His Stride

When the pregame clock strikes 23 minutes until kickoff, Oklahoma's Parnell Motley finds himself amidst a mass of his teammates at midfield of one of college football's most grand cathedrals. As "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne echoes through Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, the Sooners come together to chant "We..Too..Deep…O-U" before heading to the locker room to make final preparations. It's Motley's favorite moment of game day.

The senior cornerback is in his fourth and final season as a member of the Sooner defense. A 2016 graduate from H.D. Woodson High School, Motley was rated the No. 5 overall prospect from Washington, D.C., by 247Sports and No. 6 by Rivals and ESPN. He picked up offers from some of the top programs in the nation, including LSU, Clemson, Michigan and Michigan State.

"There's not a lot of recruiting going on on that side [of the country], especially in the small D.C. area," explained Motley. "Not a lot of guys get recruited from far away like Oklahoma. I try to put out and preach to guys who are from where I'm from, 'You can make it out. There's another way. If I can do it, you can do it.'"

For Motley, football has always been a major part of life. He started playing at age 5, moved to flag football at 6 and fell in love with the game from there.

"I always knew how to have fun, always knew how to make something happen with the ball," he said. "It's what you can do to get away from life and things like that. I was just a kid wanting to run around. I just wanted to be that guy. I started playing equipment football at about 8, and from there the rest is history."

Motley has been a living display of the 'Speed D' mentality this season, and has a team-high four pass breakups through the first three games.

When the time came to decide where to head to college, Motley chose Oklahoma for its small-town feel. Coming from the sixth-largest metro area in the U.S., he saw Norman as a much-needed change of pace.

"I knew Norman was a football town, and not a huge city," Motley explained. "I just wanted to get away from the huge city things, the lights and sirens and all the commotion going on. I wanted to focus on football, so I can be the best person I can be."

Motley has appeared in 42 of the Sooners' 44 games since arriving on campus, including every game his sophomore and junior seasons. Acknowledging his junior season did not go as well as he wanted, he believes he is on the right track this year. Motley has gotten off to a hot start for his final season in the crimson and cream, crediting defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and cornerbacks coach Roy Manning with improving his consistency.

"Coach Grinch and Coach Manning have given me tremendous support in helping me to take my game to another level," he began.

"Coach Grinch gives these motivational messages day in and day out – make sure you're always on top of your game, always being that player that you want to be. Coach Manning always keeps an eye on me. He told me from day one, I've got six months left. There's only about four months now. They're going down that hourglass. They just both put my game to another level."

Through three weeks in 2019, Motley has been a living display of the Sooners' new 'Speed D' mentality. According to Pro Football Focus, he led all FBS cornerbacks with the fewest yards per cover snap at just 0.07. He collected three of the Sooners' four pass breakups in week two against South Dakota and tallied four tackles against UCLA.

"I wanted to take my game to another level for my senior year."
-- Parnell Motley

"I wanted to take my game to another level for my senior year," he stated. "Day in, day out, practice after practice, being the best I can be and not letting up. I've been going hard every day. Practice like I'm that guy, look like I'm that guy, talk like I'm that guy."

While the Sooner acknowledges his solid individual play to start the season, he also understands the importance of the entire defense's performance.

"You see these boys flying around on the tape and on the practice film, and that's because we practice like it," said Motley. "No doubt, we've taken a huge jump with this defense this year. It's just speed. It's the bottom line. Following that bottom line, you can be wherever you want to be."

With three Big 12 Championships and two College Football Playoff appearances, Motley has had many dreams come true during his time at Oklahoma. He credits hard work for these opportunities.

"You can keep reaching your dreams if you keep working hard," said Motley.

So, when he heads to midfield with 23 minutes until kickoff at each of his final four home games, Motley will soak in the sights and sounds of the Palace on the Prairie, join his teammates in chant and reflect on the hard work that's gotten him there.

"Second by second, that time is getting closer. It gets me going. It gets me ready to get rolling with my boys to be the fastest defense on the field and the best offense in the nation."

Players Mentioned

Parnell Motley

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University of Oklahoma Athletics