Blatant Homerism: Nate Dreiling it is
After about a month with an opening on the defensive coaching staff, the Oklahoma Sooners have landed on Nate Dreiling to replace Zac Alley.
If you want to get technical about it, OU head coach Brent Venables hired the Arkansas State defensive coordinator to fill the opening. Dreiling had been on the job with the Red Wolves for about a month. Prior to his sojourn to Jonesboro, Dreiling spent the 2024 season managing a fiasco at Utah State as the interim coach of the Aggies. Dreiling worked as defensive coordinator at New Mexico State under wily head coach Jerry Kill in 2022 and 2023.
Since we’re here now, I will give y’all a smattering of thoughts on this development.
Forget about 2024
Whatever you want to infer about Dreiling’s coaching chops based on last year, don’t.
Utah State hired Dreiling as its defensive coordinator in early ‘24. By July he had worked his way up to head coach in the wake of allegations that predecessor Blake Anderson had mishandled complaints about sexual misconduct. Dreiling shepherded the Aggies through a miserable 4-8 season in which the USU defense failed to launch.
Not much to take away from that.
But the other Aggies…
Dreiling did tremendous work in the previous two years under Kill’s watchful eye in Las Cruces. NMSU allowed an average of 40.4 points per game in 2021, the year before the school hired Dreiling. Dreiling’s unit nearly sliced that number in half down to 23.9 the next year. NMSU held steady in 2023, allowing 22.8 points per game.
Some of the advanced metrics for those two years look tight, too. For instance, the Aggies improved their Defensive SP+ ranking from 129th to 85th to 56th between ‘21 and ‘23. In the season following Dreiling’s departure, NMSU dropped back down to 127th in Defensive SP+.
You could attribute the success of Dreiling’s defenses at NMSU in part to timeliness. In '23, the Aggies allowed scores on 73% of possessions that reached the red zone. That was good for fifth nationally.
What does this mean for OU?
I’ll spare everyone the hyperbole about how awesome and exciting the new, young coordinator is. I don’t know much about Dreiling that you couldn’t find out from Wikipedia or a couple YouTube videos because he wasn’t on my radar until his name surfaced in reports this week. A cursory look at broadcast footage from NMSU games suggests his defensive philosophy fits well with what Venables like to do on defense, for what it’s worth.
I don’t see much about this addition to the OU coaching staff that would be cause for alarm. The Sooners have enjoyed great success historically identifying candidates from smaller programs who were ready to level up. Alley came to Norman via Louisiana-Monroe and Jacksonville State, for example. Lincoln Riley’s experience as an offensive coordinator consisted of a stint at East Carolina. You don’t have to hire someone from Ohio State or Alabama to land a quality coach.
Moreover, Dreiling apparently has Kill’s stamp of approval, which counts for a lot. And the fact that a defensive guru such as Venables would hire Dreiling says something in and of itself.
Keep in mind that no matter what his title may be, Dreiling will almost certainly perform the duties of linebackers coach in 2025. Venables is facing the prospect of a dismissal if he can’t change OU’s fortunes from the last three years. As such, the head coach will have his hands all over the defense this season. The idea may be for Dreiling to take charge next season – assuming there is a next season for this coaching staff.
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