100 Days to Football Time in Oklahoma: #7 Jaren Kanak By: Ryan Lewis Posted on: August 27, 2022

Player Profile

Position: Linebacker

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 221

Class: Freshman

Seasons at OU: 0

Hometown: Hays, KS

The Path to Norman

Jaren Kanak, a highly-ranked recruit out of Kansas, was an athlete wanted by the top programs in the country. He visited Norman the summer before his signing day, but nothing seemed to come out of it. In December, when the new coaching staff arrived in Norman, Kanak and OU revisited. He had committed to Clemson, where Brent Venables had been the DC. Coach Venables had already committed to not going after Clemson 2022 recruits and stuck to his word. However, Kanak so badly wanted to play for Coach Venables that he went to Coach Swinney and explained the situation, who then contacted Coach Venables and encouraged him to allow the athlete to join the Sooners. Kanak flipped to OU and became a member of the 2022 class.

Highlights

This Season

Kanak is fast. Really fast. 10.37 speed in the body of a linebacker fast. This season, he will be working to earn time at the SAM / Cheetah / Nickel position. DaShaun White, Justin Harrington, Justin Broiles, and others are all set to earn time at the spot, with different offensive sets dictating who the staff rolls out at the position. Kanak will certainly earn time this season as a true freshman, but the starting role will be a tough fight. However, expectations are high for him and he has the makings of a star during his time in Norman.