Brent Venables provides thoughts on how Oklahoma staff has grown in Year Two

The Oklahoma Sooners couldn’t have started off year two under head coach Brent Venables any better, as they boast a flawless 5-0 record heading into their rivalry game with Texas.

It’s still early in the season, but the Sooners seem to be moving with a different energy this season as they boast the Big 12’s top-scoring offense and defense through five weeks of the season. And while his players have been taking care of business on the field, Venables was asked how he and his coaching staff have been doing so off the field as well.

“I think it’s everybody,” Venables said. “That would be negligent not to recognize everybody being more familiar, better chemistry, more efficient, me being more trustworthy or trusting in other people.”

The Sooners were a disappointment last season compared to the high standards that have been set in Norman as they had their worst finish since the 1998 season. And while some coaches have impressed in their first season taking over a new program, Venables kept his focus on the task at hand.

“And again last year was a year of the first, there’s plenty of people that have year of the first and they did a hell of a lot better than 6-7, but that don’t have nothing to do with us,” Venables said.

Last season was not only Venables’ first season as Oklahoma’s head coach, but his first season as a head coach entirely after spending 10 seasons as an assistant at Clemson. He didn’t do a perfect job in hist first year as a head man, but it’s clear that whichever areas needed improvement from year one have been improved upon in year two as he’s led the Sooners to a perfect record thus far.

“But through all the turnover and a whole new coaching staff, a couple guys obviously stayed here, again we’ve made a lot of improvements programmatically and how we prepare and then all of the things we’re doing on the field from a scheme and fundamental standpoint too,” Venables concluded.

There’s no question that Venables and the Sooners have earned an A+ grade to start the 2023 season, but their toughest rest of the year awaits them this weekend. Oklahoma and Texas will face off in the Allstate Red River Rivalry game on Saturday at noon ET in a game airing on ABC.