On3 Roundtable: Brent Venables must prove himself as on-field coach to sustain recruiting success

Oklahoma has had quite a run on the recruiting trail since Brent Venables took over. The Sooners brought in the No. 7-ranked recruiting class from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking, and currently have the No. 18-ranked group in 2024.

If Venables wants to keep that going, though, OU will have to improve on the field, according to Sooner Scoop senior editor Carey Murdock.

Venables’ first season didn’t necessarily go according to plan as Oklahoma went 6-7 overall and 3-4 in Big 12 play. Things are looking up this year, though, as he enters year two — an important one, as Murdock told On3’s Andy Staples. The Sooners have to get better if they want to keep getting wins on the recruiting trail.

Double-digit wins would certainly help.

“You can’t continue to do the recruiting if you continue to have a losing record,” Murdock said on On3 Roundtable. “No matter how good you are as a recruiter, you’re going to hit a wall there at some point. So he’s got to turn it around. This is a schedule coming up this year in the Big 12 that’s going to be fairly easy. There’s basically nine built-in wins. If you do get to 10, I think that gives you a foundation that’s sorely needed right now because last year just wasn’t good enough to impress a lot of people.”

Oklahoma has the 48th-ranked strength of schedule this coming season, according to ESPN, which means there should be plenty of opportunities for Venables and Co. to get some much-needed wins.

A look at Brent Venables’ first two recruiting cycles at Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s 2023 recruiting class featured three five-star recruits, including two Five Star Plus+ prospects, meaning they’re some of the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star. Quarterback Jackson Arnold is the highest-rated of the group, coming in as the No. 8 player in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. EDGE Adepoju Adebawore wasn’t far behind him as the No. 10-ranked recruit in the country.

As for Oklahoma’s 2024 group, the Sooners currently hold the No. 18 class in the country, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. Four-star wide receiver Zion Kearney is the crown jewel of the class so far as the No. 61 player in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He’s one of six four-star recruits from the cycle.