Lincoln Riley departed the Oklahoma Sooners after taking them through one of the best periods in their history. He finished and departed for USC Trojans with a 55-10 record and an 11-2 season in his last year. Brent Venables came in from Clemson and took the responsibility to carry forward that legacy. This was a coach considered a master of defense as he was coming on the back of two national titles for Clemson. Expectations were high.
The expectations didn’t take too long to douse down as Oklahoma finished their first season under Venables with a 6-7 record. In the 2024 season, things didn’t change a bit. Unfortunately for Venables, it was the program’s first season in the SEC—the toughest conference in the first division. Result? Sooners again had a losing season, their second losing season since 1998. Sure, the Lincoln Riley legacy at Oklahoma didn’t take long to lay in shambles. Will 2025 be a different case?
Brent Venables 2025 class sure isn’t ranked too high, but it has the added firepower required to change fortunes and at least deliver a 10-win season. Its crown jewel is undoubtedly the well-touted quarterback John Mateer, who joined from Washington State. A player who vowed so much after Jackson Arnold departed for the NFL draft, he will surely be the difference maker for the Sooners. That said, concerns still mount about the player’s ability to transition to a conference like the SEC.
J.D. PicKell of On3, in a recent episode, talks about the things that could land in favor of the former Washington State QB, “I think if John Mateer is who you believe he could be with what Oklahoma is going to be up against from an opposing quarterback perspective. Six of their nine power-four opponents will be playing somebody new at quarterback all right; two-thirds, that’s pretty nice. If John Mateer is who you think he could be and Brent Venables’ defense is Venables’ brand of defense, who’s stopping Oklahoma?”
It’s fair to say that Brent Venables could face the axe if the Sooners again end up having a disappointing season. What does the 2025 season look like? Well, the start isn’t that bad. They open the season against Illinois State, followed by games against Michigan and Temple. Even Auburn and Kent State at home are easier games. However, that’s where the easy run ends. Four of their last five games are against Ole Miss (home), Tennessee (away), Alabama (away) and LSU (home). All of these teams may be ranked by then. That doesn’t bode well for a head coach trying to save his job.
However, as PicKell highlighted, the upside is having Mateer under the center. Michigan will have an inexperienced QB. The same goes for Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas. Mateer is also someone who threw for 3,139 yards and rushed for 826 yards just last season. He will be coming with full momentum for Sooners and looks battle-ready.
The new offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, will be handling all the playcalling responsibilities. Brent Venables will surely deliver the brand of defense he did at Clemson when he was their DC. Now the question is: Can Ben Arbuckle change the offense for Venables?
Ben Arbuckle: the game changer for Brent Venables?
Ben Arbuckle is a coach who undoubtedly looks inexperienced and young at just 29 years old. This is a coach who has never coached in a Power 4 conference team and surely lacks the collegiate OC resume. But if his Western Kentucky days are to be taken into account, then he looks like a real deal. He led the team to a sixth nationally ranked offense (yards/game) and in total yards gained through passing. This was all done in a season in which Arbuckle was a primary play-caller and showed his excellence. So maybe he just has the X factor that Oklahoma needs in their OC. He even laid out his strategy.
“If I expect these players that I get to coach to run around with some juice, with some energy…I better be practicing what I preach. Any chance I get to get in front of the awesome players we have at Oklahoma, I want them to know that they’re gonna have a coach who’s gonna fly around, who’s gonna care, who’s going to bring the energy, and love being there probably more than they love being there. I want that to spew off into them and everything. So that’s where that energy comes from”.
Oklahoma’s offense was nothing short of appalling this last season. In points per game, they ranked 110th nationally, and in points per play, they were sitting at 111th. And in pass completions, they were ranked 75th, while in rushing yards per game, they were 82nd. Looking at these numbers, there is no doubt that there will be huge room for improvement for Oklahoma and especially for Ben Arbuckle. Now it remains to be seen if it will be the season Sooners’ fortunes change.
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