Oklahoma safety Reggie Pearson is mindful not to take things for granted, even though he played in 41 games over two seasons at Texas Tech and parts of three seasons at Wisconsin.

Sooners coach Brent Venables won’t let him.

“When you come in as a transfer, you feel that sense of being a guy and when you come in, they see me as this guy,” Pearson said last week. “BV holds you to a higher standard. You feel like you come in as a freshman. That’s the best thing that I had to counter with when I got here.”

Pearson, a 5-foot-10, 198-pound redshirt senior, started 20 games at Texas Tech and 14 games at Wisconsin, including 13 games in 2019.

His reputation as a hard hitter can be confirmed by Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was leveled by Pearson after catching a pass against Texas Tech last season.

“Just playing for so long, you kind of get this sense of comfort within playing football in college and get this understanding of how fast the game goes and the defense and the relationships that come with it,” Pearson said. “But here, you have to kind of build it and restart it from the beginning. It’s special since I’ve got here. I’ve appreciated every moment, every practice.”