Brent Venables explains how the portal can help teams take major leaps in one offseason

Experience is the key to landing on Brent Venables transfer portal radar. The Oklahoma head coach isn’t worried about draft stock or outside noise — he wants ready-made athletes that can compete for a starting job from day one.

At the same time, he is cautious to get involved when a former blue-chip prospect hits the market.

“To me, the biggest challenge is finding the right people. It’s not like you have a bunch of day-one NFL Draft picks that are available in the portal every year. If they are, they don’t last long and you’ve always got to question what the story is. There’s always a backdrop to it,” Venables said. “The key to it is being able to find guys that are good enough that meet your needs. Sometimes we’ve got to go out and find somebody that can play, that can execute.”

Venables’ efforts in the transfer portal have landed Oklahoma a top 10 portal class this offseason. Led by 6-foot-5, 230-pound former top 100 recruit Dasan McCullough and one of the fastest football players in the country in WR Brenen Thompson, the Sooners have plugged some key holes ahead of the 2023 college football season.

Oklahoma’s portal class goes 15-deep and includes names such as former Sooner, TE Austin Stogner, former Notre Dame DL Jacob Lacey and Stanford OT Walter Rouse.

“It does let to bridge a gap quickly, but you’ve got to find the right guys. Team guys that learn well, guys that are going to come and compete every day — guys that are available and to know that they’re healthy, too,” Venables said. “We took a chance on a few guys that we felt like were worth it that are going to come in and they’re overcoming some injuries.”

Still, Oklahoma is coming off its worst season of the 21st century under Venables, who is now entering year two as the Sooners’ headman. It’s imperative that he gets things turned around this year, as they need all the momentum they can get following last year’s disappointments.

When Oklahoma and Texas join the SEC in July of next year, it might even aid Venables in some recruiting aspects. More players are enticed to join what is widely regarded as the strongest football conference in the country from top to bottom — and in turn, Oklahoma would be an even more attractive destination for recruits and portalers alike.