Oklahoma’s well-known Sooner Schooner has weathered a number of bumps within the highway up to now, however after struggling via two dropping seasons in three years for the primary time this century, Brent Venables knew he needed to pull the reins.
Oklahoma’s head coach started re-evaluating his plans in October, amid a dreadful begin to his third 12 months main this system and — maybe extra essential — the blueblood’s debut season within the mighty SEC. He fired his offensive coordinator in the midst of the season, shifted workers tasks after which bought a head begin on mapping out a blueprint for 2025 — all whereas the Sooners have been nonetheless enjoying video games.
“We needed to,” Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione informed CBS Sports activities. “I imply, we might’ve been silly to not be trying ahead to what we’d like.”
They do not should say it publicly, nevertheless it’s broadly understood that Venables enters his fourth 12 months on the new seat. A 6-7 report was not a catastrophe on paper, however the Sooners’ downward trajectory in a brand new convention sounded a number of alarm bells in Norman. The Oklahoma diehards will not admit it, however rival Texas’ journey to the Faculty Soccer Playoff in its first SEC season has additionally fueled the will for a revamp. So, Oklahoma poured more cash, time and assets right into a full rework. The college employed a third-party marketing consultant to judge this system from prime to backside.
The following adjustments have been dramatic.
The Sooners put in two new coordinators, employed a pair of defensive assistants and put in a wholly new entrance workplace with seven staffers led by famous former NFL govt Jim Nagy. They even employed a brand new coach with NFL ties. In December and January, the Sooners relentlessly pursued expertise within the switch portal, snagging arguably one of the best quarterback (Washington State’s John Mateer) and operating again (Cal’s Jadyn Ott) within the nation to enhance 5 new receivers.
Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze amongst coaches who can considerably enhance rating in 2025
Will Backus
A full overhaul
The place all of it went incorrect final season is a matter of debate. Venables is 27-17 general, and although his 10-win season in 2023 sparked hope, the still-unclear choice course of that coaxed celebrity quarterback Dillon Gabriel to depart for Oregon after that breakout 12 months raised eyebrows. Venables sided with Jackson Arnold, whose performances in the end delivered extra heartburn than aid in 2024.
“If you wish to have an opportunity to get into the playoffs and an opportunity to have the ability to compete on the prime of the SEC, you have to have elite quarterback play,” Venables mentioned. “It will probably’t simply be good, it is bought to be elite.”
That normal is even increased at a spot like Oklahoma, which has produced 4 Heisman Trophy winners on the place, together with two below former coach Lincoln Riley. Riley later coached a 3rd Heisman winner, Oklahoma switch Caleb Williams, lower than a 12 months later at USC in 2022.
The defensive-minded Venables sought out one of the best assistants after the 2024 misfire. He courted Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles throughout the week of the Buckeyes’ pursuit of the nationwide championship. Knowles in the end selected Penn State, main Venables to imagine play-calling duties himself.
Whereas he missed on his prime defensive goal, he struck it large on the opposite aspect of the ball with one of the best package deal deal within the sport.
The Sooners employed wunderkind offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, a 29-year-old whose record-breaking offense produced NFL first-rounder Cam Ward and record-breaking passer John Mateer. Mateer adopted Arbuckle to Norman after main FBS quarterbacks with 44 whole touchdowns final season at Washington State.
Whereas Oklahoma’s protection ranked within the prime 25 final season, the offense was dreadfully impotent, rating 124th in yards per play (4.8). The Sooners actually have been slowed by accidents — significantly the continually spinning carousel at receiver — nevertheless it was the dearth of consistency at quarterback and an ineffective dashing assault behind an injury-laded offensive line that paralyzed the unit. The Sooners toiled behind one of many least productive schemes within the nation throughout former Sooner fullback Seth Littrell’s first and solely season as coordinator.
Boomer or bust
As a lot as Oklahoma followers have tried to downplay the ache of dropping Riley to Southern Cal after a stunning in a single day departure in December 2021, it is clear his absence has instantly led to diminishing returns on offense. Three years later, Venables has reached the inflection level of his profession. Merely put, if his new hires do not work this fall, he’ll be out of labor.
Apparently, Venables hopes to rekindle that Riley-like magic to proper the ship with a hungry, younger and modern play-caller. Arbuckle’s offense at Washington State averaged 36.6 factors per sport and 6.6 yards per play, each rating within the prime 10 nationally. Arbuckle, whose fast rise began at Houston Baptist and hit on all cylinders at Western Kentucky after a number of years below mentor Zach Kittley, may be the most popular title within the trade. His move offense has ranked within the prime 5 nationally in two of three seasons as an OC.
“I talked to teach Venables for about 30 to 45 minutes about him,” mentioned Kittley, now the pinnacle coach at FAU. “He was actually attempting to dig and discover a cause, mainly, to not rent him, and there was no cause he should not. He is a celebrity.”
If one have been to outline Oklahoma’s offseason, it will embody two phrases: due diligence.
“Every little thing has been geared to serving to our soccer program achieve success,” Castiglione mentioned. “I really feel actually, actually good about all of the enhancements which were made.”
Even armed with a entrance workplace that’s the envy of school soccer and a quarterback whose expertise has the Sooners’ devoted believing once more, the highway remains to be treacherous. The schedule this fall is the hardest within the sport, in keeping with ESPN’s SP+.
“It is all of us collectively, linking arms, checking egos and having very clearly outlined processes in place after which having the professionalism that it takes to work collectively and do issues the suitable approach,” Venables mentioned.
Venables will depend on himself, a celebrity play-caller throughout Clemson’s run to 2 nationwide titles within the 2010s, to keep up the protection’s top-25 performances from final season. On offense, he’ll depend on a pair of 20-somethings — Arbuckle and Mateer — to elevate the offense from close to the underside again into the highest 25.
“You consider each nice quarterback Oklahoma’s had — actually, any nice quarterback of all time — the one factor that these guys have is elite confidence,” Arbuckle informed reporters within the spring. “And that is the No. 1 factor you need to breathe right into a quarterback. It’s a must to breathe that life into them. ‘Look, I’m the baddest dude on this area, proper? I’m. That is my crew. That is my offense. That is my sport.’
“It’s a must to breathe that elite confidence in them, as a result of the extra that they consider in themselves, the extra everyone round them goes to consider in them.”
