Mar. 30—NORMAN — Perrion Winfrey wasn’t even supposed to be there.

But Winfrey’s biggest play of his first season at OU had just as much to do with his observational skills as his talent.

In the third overtime against Texas last October, Winfrey came up to the line of scrimmage and saw Longhorns lineman Junior Angilau huffing and puffing.

Winfrey saw his opportunity.

“I asked one of my homies, Isaiah Thomas, told him to switch spots with me,” Winfrey said Monday while recounting his favorite moment of last season.

Winfrey was able to resist Angilau’s attempt at holding down Winfrey’s left arm, getting a piece of Cameron Dicker’s field goal try and keeping the game tied.

The play was the first major one of Winfrey’s Sooners career and while there were some other strong moments, there were many more “almosts” — plays where the quarterback got rid of it just before Winfrey got there, others were he was a half-step away from stopping a running back for a big loss, etc.

Sooners defensive coordinator Alex Grinch talked ahead of the Sooners’ Cotton Bowl matchup with Florida in December about the need for Winfrey to turn disruption into production.

And that has been a major focus of Winfrey’s offseason.

“I feel like I would get to the play, but because I was heavier, I wasn’t flexible enough,” Winfrey said. “I couldn’t bend or do what I need to do to finish the play.

“That’s definitely what I’ve been working on in practice, trying to finish plays and finish through, instead of just running through and running away from it.”

After being listed at 6-foot-3, 297 pounds a year ago, Winfrey has trimmed up a little, listed this spring at 290 pounds. Weight hasn’t been the only focus, though, in his physical development.

Winfrey’s desire for more led to him not giving much consideration to leaving for the NFL after last season.

“I felt like I wanted to stay another year, and perfect my craft even more,” Winfrey said Monday. “I felt like we had a good shot at getting our aim, which is the national championship. I like our team overall. I feel like we’re stacked at every position. If there’s any time to go get that, I feel like this is the year. That’s why I stayed.”

And if the Sooners are to take that next step and win their first College Football Playoff game or win their eighth national championship and first since 2000, Winfrey figures to be a big part of it.

The play of the interior defensive line has been a big difference in the Sooners’ CFP teams and the teams that have beaten them or gone on to win national titles.

Now, Winfrey gives them a nose guard with the potential to be a playmaking force and Winfrey said he’s made plenty of progress to that end.

“I feel like now my condition is amazing,” Winfrey said. “When I’m not tired, then I won’t miss those plays. Some of those plays were missed because honestly, I was just tired and I couldn’t get to the ball. But since I’ve been focusing on my conditioning, I feel like all those plays will be made, because I’ll be in the right position at all times, because I won’t be too tired.”

And now, Winfrey is thinking about that next step.

“My mindset has changed dramatically,” Winfrey said of the changes since his arrival from Iowa Western Community College. “It’s so close, I don’t want to mess up. Everything I do, I come hard. I go as hard as I can possibly. I know that it can get taken away from me one day and I won’t have this opportunity again.

“My mindset really changed, because I’m trying to feed my family. I understand that if I don’t do the things I need to do, someone else is going to take my spot, and I can’t allow that to happen.”