Well, Brent Venables rolled into Norman with two rings from Clemson and sky-high expectations. But the excitement quickly faded as he took over following Lincoln Riley‘s move to USC and witnessed the Sooners struggle to a disappointing 6-7 finish in 2024. This harsh reality check hit him harder than a blindside sack. Now, with time running out and the SEC looming as a tough challenge, Venables is pulling out all the stops to prepare the team for what lies ahead. His answer to the chaos? John Mateer, the QB built for a storm.
Now, John Mateer’s presence in Oklahoma already puts so many expectations on his shoulders. After a shaky season with Jackson Arnold, who was benched after throwing three interceptions in his first four starts. But can we blame him? Oklahoma’s posted the worst offense in SEC play at 278.6 yards per game and averaged only 4.2 yards per play. Things got to a point that Brent Venables and the team had to fire their OC, Seth Littrell. Now, this season is going to be different with Mateer and their new OC Ben Arbuckle‘s presence. And that’s exactly what J.D. PicKell’s spring intel on him says,
“Everyone in Norman is like, ‘Yeah, he’s a dude, man. He is an absolute baller. We’re going to be in good shape with him pulling the trigger. Everything else we’ll see how it translates, but we feel good about John Mateer.’ I don’t think we put enough value on that as a college football society. When you say it with your chest during the spring, it means you feel 99% confidence you are not going to be wrong; otherwise, you don’t say it with your chest, man.” No wonder Brent Venables is trusting his guts over Mateer, as he is the kind of player the Sooners needed this season.
With a record of throwing for 3,139 yards with 29 TDs and just 7 interceptions last season, John Mateer is coming off pretty strong. But now it all comes down to Brent Venables’ defense that’s making the most noise this season. As PicKell says, “It’s going to come down to the defense. If John Mateer is who we all believe he’s going to be, how nice is that? If I told you after you lost to Navy, Hey, next season will depend on what your defense is, and oh, by the way, Brent Venables is calling it, okay, we can work with that. Isn’t that kind of what you would want at this point in the college football calendar year?”
Look, Brent Venables taking the reins of Oklahoma’s defense is not just a mere change; it’s a crucial step. The Sooners stumbled to a 6-7 record in their inaugural SEC season, conceding an average of 4.9 yards per play and 21.5 points per game. However, their primary issue lies in the offense. With a national ranking of 97th in scoring and barely surpassing 175 passing yards per game, OU managed to score over 24 points only once in conference matchups, against Auburn in Week 5.
And no wonder Brent Venables is a perfect fit for this position. In 2021, under his guidance, Clemson’s defense excelled, securing the 2nd spot in scoring defense (15.0 ppg), 4th in sacks (3.4 per game), and 9th in total defense (308.4 ypg). If he can introduce even a fraction of that dominance to Norman, Oklahoma might stand a chance in the competitive SEC. With anticipation for his impact on the team, let’s see how Venables transforms the future of Oklahoma.
Brent Venables and Oklahoma’s future
Well, Brent Venables needs to realize the challenge of the SEC, as Oklahoma is not in the clear but rather facing a tough road ahead. The 2025 schedule is not just difficult; it’s a complete nightmare. Nine of their opponents are among the top 25 teams with national title odds, making it the toughest schedule in FBS, according to ESPN SP+.
Teams like Michigan, Auburn, Texas, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, and LSU lie in their path. This upcoming season marks Year 4 for Venables and Year 2 in the SEC, leaving no room for excuses. While six of these teams will have a new quarterback, the success of Venables’ defense could potentially turn things around for Oklahoma. Like J.D. PicKell says, “Six of the nine Power Four opponents that Oklahoma is going to play will have a new starting quarterback than they did a season ago. Like, you get Bryce Underwood; potentially, if not him, Mikey Keene for your second game of the season. Jackson Arnold, you get him, and he’s a guy that I think Oklahoma has to feel some confidence against.”
He further adds up to it, saying, “No shade on Jackson Arnold. Like Arch Manning, you think he’s going to be great? No guarantee. You go down the line here, man. Like Oklahoma defensively should be able to cook up a few curveballs for these new quarterbacks in a lot of cases, youthful quarterbacks.” Last season, Oklahoma allowed 318.2 yards per game and was in the 19th position. And that’s something Brent Venables can’t let happen this season.
But J.D. PicKell is also highlighting the fact that even though the schedule looks tempting, there is a high chance that it turns out pretty well for the Sooners. How? “Like the defense, if it comes down to the defense this year, I think that’s kind of the way you’re living here, quite frankly. I really do. I think that things in March aren’t certain as well.” PicKell said. Now, that’s true; last season, FSU was among the top ten teams but then ended up with a 2-10 season. So, for now, it all lies on how Brent Venables is going to develop their defense.
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