Welcome to the SEC: All Eyes on Brent Venables and Oklahoma in 2024

The Sooners have two new coordinators and a new quarterback as OU tackles the SEC gauntlet for the first time.

Apr 20, 2024; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables sings with Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Kobie McKinzie (11) and Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman David Stone (0) after the Oklahoma Sooners spring game at Gaylord Family OK Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma is certainly backing Brent Venables as the Sooners enter the Southeastern Conference. 

Earlier this month, OU athletic director Joe Castiglione rewarded Venables with a two-year contract extension and a raise after the Sooners improved from 6-7 in 2022 to 10-3 in 2023.

The rapid improvement was largely down to the steps forward taken defensively. 

OU finished 99th in the country in scoring defense in 2022, and leapt up to 48th in scoring defense last year. Venables’ defense improved from 106th in rushing defense to 44th in rushing defense, moving much closer to a unit that would allow yards in the middle of the field but bow up on the goal line. 

No stand was more impactful than the defense repelling Texas four times from inside the 5-yard line in Dallas, helping OU avenge 2022’s 49-0 embarrassment at the hands of the Longhorns with Dillon Gabriel’s heroic game-winning touchdown drive last October. 

If the Sooners hope to replicate last year’s success against a brutal SEC schedule in 2024, the defense will have to again be the heartbeat of the team. 

Venables and his staff successfully recruited linebacker Danny Stutsman, defensive backs Billy Bowman and Woodi Washington as well as defensive lineman Da’Jon Terry back for one more year, giving OU an experienced foundation to build upon defensively in 2024. 

But plenty of change is coming to the offense. 

Gabriel transferred to after the regular season came to an end, ushering in the Jackson Arnold era. 

The freshman quarterback showed poise in Provo to help Oklahoma outlast BYU, but carded an up-and-down performance in the Alamo Bowl against Arizona that gave little indication of what’s to come for him as the full-time starter in 2024. 

Arnold completed 26-of-45 passes in his first game under new offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns while also throwing three interceptions. 

The sophomore will have an impressive array of weapons between running back Gavin Sawchuk and wide receivers Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Jayden Gibson and Purdue transfer Deion Burks, but its unclear how well the Sooners will be able to protect their signal caller. 

Attrition due to graduation and players headed off to the NFL Draft decimated OU’s offensive line, and the shock transfer of Cayden Green to Missouri created a major headache for OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. 

Oklahoma was hard at work in the winter rebuilding numbers, adding potential starters in North Texas transfer Febechi Nwaiwu and former Florida and USC offensive tackle Michael Tarquin as well as the addition of SMU center Branson Hickman after the spring transfer portal window opened. 

How the OU offense comes together under Littrell and the further steps the defense takes under new defensive coordinator Zac Alley will be crucial for shaping the Sooners’ first years in the SEC. 

Oklahoma faces road trips to Auburn, Missouri, Ole Miss and LSU this year while the Sooners will host Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama on top of the yearly war with Texas. 

The Sooners’ facilities are in good shape, and Venables has done an excellent job on the recruiting trail. 

OU’s first full recruiting cycle under Venables resulted in the No. 5-ranked class by the 247Sports Team Rankings, a rating that bested any class Lincoln Riley signed in Norman. 

Last year it was followed up with the 8th-best class, and OU’s 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked fifth. 

Crucially, the Sooners have their quarterback in the 2025 class in Kevin Sperry and have a verbal commitment from 2026 4-star quarterback Jaden O’Neal, giving the Sooners a centerpiece to spearhead recruiting in the year to come. 

If Venables can manage his first SEC schedule, there’s no reason why the recruiting would drop off as Oklahoma playing in the best conference in the country becomes a reality and more engrained in the minds of recruits. 

The introduction of the 12-team playoff will likely open up a path for any SEC team that wins nine regular season games as well, which will continue to help on the recruiting front. 

But if things go poorly, legitimate questions will pop up about Venables’ chops as a head coach. 

Oklahoma went 0-5 in one-score games in 2022, and finished 3-2 in one-score games last year. 

With two new coordinators in 2024, the pressure will be on Venables to keep the Sooners moving forward in the gauntlet of the SEC.