The Sooners ranked dead last (129 out of 129 FBS teams) a year ago in passing yards allowed. They were hardly much better in passing efficiency defense, with the 19th worst passing efficiency defense ranking (111 of 129).
To be fair, most of the responsibility for defending passes falls on the linebackers and the two cornerbacks, but as the last line of defense, the safeties don’t totally escape the blame game.
Robert Barnes, Brendan Radley-Hiles, Kahlil Haughton and Justin Broiles rotated in and out of the safety positions last season, a pretty clear sign that the Sooners struggled to find the right combination at the back end of the defensive secondary.