Evaluating the feeling around Brent Venables after Year 2 at Oklahoma

Year 1 for Brent Venables at Oklahoma resulted in something the program had not seen in 24 years — a losing record. The 2023 season needed to be a bounceback and the Sooners responded in a big way. 10 wins and a massive win against Texas in the Red River Shootout have fans in Norman feeling good about the direction under Venables.

“I think fans are confident in him,” George Stoia of On3’s Sooner Scoop said during Tuesday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “I think that they made a lot of improvements this year. You look at the two games that they did lose — Oklahoma State and Kansas.

“Both of them were fluky games in the sense that in Kansas, you had the bad weather. You didn’t play very well on offense. Same with the Oklahoma State game, they didn’t play very well on offense. Jeff Lebby kind of became the scapegoat for Oklahoma.”

For as magical as the game-winning drive in Dallas was, the Lebby offense still had some puzzling moments. Mainly in the run game, where Oklahoma struggled to find a consistent balance. Gavin Sawchuk wound up being the leading rusher with 610 yards. Walk-on Tawee Walker was second with 496 yards but is now in the NCAA transfer portal.

Lebby is of course now gone, taking the Mississippi State job. Venables made an internal hire at offensive coordinator, elevating Seth Litrell. There is a hope that even with a new flashy quarterback in Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma can run the ball more efficiently and do so while taking a deep breath every once in a while.

“They’re still bringing in talent,” Stoia said. “There is a lot of faith in Seth Litrell as the new offensive playcaller. Maybe slowing things down, running more of the Air Raid. A guy that likes to run the football, which Oklahoma wasn’t great at at times this year.”

But you cannot mention a program run by Brent Venables and only discuss the offense, even if it’s where a few of the problems reside. Venables is known for his elite defenses while at Oklahoma and then during national championship runs at Clemson.

Specifically on the defensive line, where Oklahoma did really well on the recruiting front this cycle. Six new faces will join the team next season, with all but one of them being a blue-chip prospect. Five-Star Plus+ David Stone via IMG Academy is the crown jewel, hoping to bring back the feeling of some great Sooner units.

“They’re bringing in the best defensive line class they’ve had since 2006 when they had Gerald McCoy, Jeremy Beal,” Stoia said. “Guys that went on to play for the national championship in 2008. They’re bringing in a defensive line class that they have to have in the SEC to compete.”

Even some of the lower-tier SEC programs are able to put together quality defensive lines. It’s almost a baseline in the conference, not being able to have sustained success without being good upfront. Oklahoma had time to recruit and prepare for the moment and Venables will be hoping the 2024 class kicks things off with a bang.

Improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 was evident. Moving into the SEC may seem like a daunting task, especially with the hand Oklahoma has been dealt from a scheduling standpoint. There is confidence in what Venables is building though, seemingly making the right moves in the right area.