Oklahoma The famous Gooner earlier resisted a few bumps on the road in the past, but after suffering from two losing seasons in three years for the first time this century, Brent Venables knew that he had to shoot the reins.
Oklahoma head coach began to reassess his plans in October, in the middle of a terrible start of his third year at the head of the program and – perhaps more important – the first season of Blueblood in the powerful second. He dismissed his attacking coordinator in the middle of the season, moved the responsibilities of the staff and then managed to map a plan for 2025 – while while the Sooners were still playing games.
“We had to do it,” said Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione at CBS Sports. “I mean, we would have been stupid not to wait impatiently what we need.”
They don’t have to say it publicly, but it is widely understood that between its fourth year on the hot seat. A record of 6-7 was not a disaster on paper, but the downward trajectory of the Sooners in a new conference sounded some alarm ringtones in Norman. The pure and hard of Oklahoma do not admit it, but rival Texas‘Trip to University football The playoffs in its first dry season also fueled the desire for a overhaul. Thus, Oklahoma has paid more money, time and resources in a complete renovation. The university hired a third -party consultant to assess the top and bottom program.
The changes that followed were dramatic.
The Sooners have installed two new coordinators, hired a pair of defensive assistants and installed a brand new front office with seven employees led by the renowned former Nfl Executive Jim Nagy. They even hired a new coach with Nfl links. In December and January, the Sooners made it possible to continue the talents in the transfer portal, undoubtedly hanging the best quarter-arre (Washington condition‘s John Mateer) and the ball carrier (Cal’s Jadyn OTT) in the country to complete five new receivers.
Brent Venables of Oklahoma, Hugh Freeze of Auburn among coaches who can considerably increase the ranking in 2025
Will Backus
A complete overhaul
Where everything went wrong last season is a matter of debate. Venables has a 27-17 sheet overall, and although its 10-victories season in 2023 sparked Hope, the still united decision-making process that cajolized the quarter of the superstar Dillon Gabriel to leave to Oregon After this year of escape, shrouded the eyebrows. TRANALTIS with Jackson Arnoldwhose performance finally delivered more stomach burns than relief in 2024.
“If you want to have a chance to enter the playoffs and a chance to be able to compete at the top of the dry, you must have an elite quarter-back game,” said Venables. “It can’t be good, it must be the elite.”
This standard is even higher in a place like Oklahoma, which produced four winners of the Heisman trophy at the post, including two under the former coach Lincoln Riley. Riley then led to a third winner of Heisman, Oklahoma Transfer Caleb Williamsless than a year later to USC in 2022.
The defensive veniables sought the best assistants after the 2024 failure. He courted Ohio State The defensive coordinator Jim Knowles during the week of the pursuit of buckeyes of the national championship. Knowles finally chose Penn StateDriving the venables to assume the playing tasks himself.
As he lacked his upper defensive target, he struck much on the other side of the ball with the best sports package.
The Sooners hired Wunderkind’s offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, a 29 -year -old man whose Record offensive produced the first NFL round and record passer John Mateer. Mateer followed Arbuckle in Norman after managing the FBS quarters with 44 hit in total last season in Washington State.
While the defense of Oklahoma ranked in the top 25 last season, the offensive was terribly helpless, ranking 124th in yards per game (4.8). The Sooners were certainly slowed down by injuries – in particular the carousel constantly in rotation to the receiver – but it is the lack of coherence in the quarter -back and a precipitated attack to rush behind an offensive line of injury which paralyzed the unit. The Sooners worked behind one of the least productive programs in the country during the former first and only season of Seth Littrell as coordinator.
Boomer or bust
As much as Oklahoma fans tried to minimize the pain of losing Riley against Southern Cal after a surprising departure at night in December 2021, it is clear that his absence directly led to reducing attacks in attack. Three years later, Venables reached the inflection point of his career. In other words, if his new hires does not work this fall, he will be without work.
Interestingly, Venable hopes to revive this magic similar to Riley to straighten the ship with a hungry, young and innovative game player. The Arbuckle offensive at Washington State collected an average of 36.6 points per game and 6.6 yards per game, the two ranking in the top 10 at the national level. Arbuckle, whose quick climb started in Houston Baptist and hit all the cylinders to Western kentucky After a few years under the mentor, Zach Kittley, could be the hottest name in the industry. Its pass attack ranked in the top five at the national level in two of the three seasons as an OC.
“I spoke to the venable coach for about 30 to 45 minutes of him,” Kittley said, now the head coach Fai. “He really tried to dig and find a reason, fundamentally, not to hire him, and there was no reason why he should not. He is a superstar.”
If we had to define the offseason of Oklahoma, this would include two words: reasonable diligence.
“Everything has been designed to help our football program succeed,” said Castiglione. “I really feel, really good in all the improvements that have been made.”
Even armed with a front office which is the desire to university football And a quarter-Arrière whose talent again has the faithful of the Sooners, the road is still treacherous. The calendar this fall is the most difficult in sport, according to SP + D ESPN.
“It is all together, bind the weapons, check the ego and have very clearly defined processes in place, then have the professionalism that it takes to work together and do things the right way,” said Venables.
Venables will count on himself, a superstar game player during ClemsonIt takes place towards two national titles in the 2010s, to maintain the 25 best performances in last season’s defense. In attack, he will count on a 20 -year pair – Arbuckle and Mateer – to lift the offensive near the bottom in the top 25.
“You are thinking of every big quarter of Oklahoma – really, all big quarters of all time – the only thing these guys have is the confidence of a elite,” Arbuckle told journalists in the spring. “And this is the n ° 1 thing that you must breathe in a quarter. You must inspire this life there.” Listen, I am the most mean guy on this ground, right? I am. It’s my team. This is my offense. It’s my game. “
“You have to breathe this self-confidence in them, because the more they believe in themselves, the more everyone around them will believe in them.”