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Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings announces return to Sooners for 2025 season

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•12/31/24•

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Robert Spears-Jennings5
Aug 30, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings (3) celebrates with Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Jacobe Johnson (19) after recovering a fumble during the second quarter against the Temple Owls at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings announced he will be returning to play for the Sooners next season. Spears-Jennings has one year of eligibility remaining.

Spears-Jennings’ decision is a massive boost to Oklahoma’s defensive roster next season. Spears-Jennings was the team’s second-leading tackler this season, with 66 tackles. He also recorded 2.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two passes defended and an interception.

Spears-Jennings had his best game of the season in Oklahoma’s 25-15 loss to Tennessee when he exploded for 13 tackles while forcing a fumble. He has played in every game for Oklahoma in the past two seasons. He appeared in nine games during his true freshman season.

With Robert Spears-Jennings’ help, Oklahoma’s pass defense was stellar this season, holding opponents to 203.2 passing yards per game, ranking sixth in the SEC. Now, Spears-Jennings will look to help the Sooners’ secondary take another step forward next season.

It won’t be easy. With Billy Bowman Jr. entering the 2025 NFL Draft this offseason, Oklahoma will be without its standout safety in the 2025 campaign. Worse, the Sooners lost six defensive backs to the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Brent Venables is hungry for improvement

Nonetheless, failure isn’t an option in head coach Brent Venables‘ eyes. This season was a step backward for the Sooners, who finished with a 10-3 record in the 2023 campaign. With his seat hotter than ever, Venables is determined to see his program improve.

“Everything falls on me,” Venables said. “Everything falls at my feet. Really disappointed in myself. I need to be a lot better, and that goes without saying.”

“… Everybody’s disappointed, embarrassed, all of those things. But I’m not embarrassed of the fight, the commitment, the work, the belief, the strain, the sacrifice, all the things that these guys have represented. I’m not in any way, shape or form embarrassed in them for that. But we’ve got to be better.”

While Venables obviously wants to succeed for personal reasons, he wants to see his players succeed more than anything.

“I’m hurt for the players because I know they’ve worked hard,” Venables said. “I know it’s easy to take shots at, certainly, us as coaches. We’re the coach and that’s why we got the whistle and all that.”

Next season will be Venables’ fourth at the helm of Oklahoma. He’ll have a full offseason to fix the issues he saw from his team this year.