Oklahoma has always been a powerhouse in college football, but things have been rough under Brent Venables. Just to give you an idea, the Sooners are 6th in all-time wins in college football history with a solid 950 victories. They also boast the 5th highest win percentage and have snagged 7 national championships along with 50 conference titles. But ever since Venables took the helm, those impressive stats feel like they’re a long way off.

Last year, the Sooners finished with a 6-7 record, marking the second time in three years during Brent Venables’ tenure that they ended with a losing record. The offense struggled significantly, ranking 110th out of 134 FBS teams nationally in scoring offense. Their quarterback, Jackson Arnold, had several disappointing performances, with perhaps the most concerning being against Missouri. In that game, Arnold managed only 74 passing yards as Missouri defeated the Sooners 30-23. Given these challenges, Paul Finebaum delivered a harsh verdict regarding Venables’ coaching.

“He’s had two bad years out of three. Oklahoma is not going to put up with that another year,” Finebaum bolstered the hot seat rumors about Brent Venables from this verdict. Keeping the criticism aside, this year, Brent Venables has done many things that look quite optimistic for the 2025 season. For instance, he brought in John Mateer from Washington State, who came after producing 3,139 passing yards and a whopping 826 yards on the ground last year. Apart from that, Oklahoma has also done well with other transfers, bringing in a total of 22 players. So, maybe seeing these positive signs, Venables’ assistant bolstered his case, praising him on X.

Oklahoma’s passing game coordinator and wide receiver coach, Emmett Jones, took to X and posted a photo of Venables with the players and wrote. “Coach Venables is Real One… I’m not even talking about ball, that’s understood. Trust me, A Real One! You are appreciated, Coach!” This was undoubtedly an unfiltered and heartfelt take from Jones, but does Venables deserve this praise after three years at Oklahoma?

Before Sooners fans criticize Venables too harshly, remember, this was the man who was one of the architects behind Oklahoma’s 2000 national championship title. At that time, Venables worked under Bob Stoops as the team’s co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. His defense at the time was ranked fourth nationally, conceding just 17.3 points per game. So, it’s not that Oklahoma has a problem with its head coach’s ability; it might be something else entirely.

Brent Venables’ 2024 woes were more complex than they look

Undoubtedly, Oklahoma’s offense was one of the worst in the country, and Arnold’s turnover issues also plagued the offense. Still, when talking about the Sooners’ defense last year, it was solid. Under their defensive coordinator Zac Alley, the Sooners were ranked 19th in total defense, giving up 323.9 yards per game. And this year, Brent Venables is coming back into his 2000 Oklahoma mode and has taken over defensive play calling after Alley’s departure.

When asked why Venables decided to call the defense, he had a straight answer. “Why am I going to call the defense? Because I’m good at it and confident in it. We have a great staff, and for both me and the players to be successful, the product has to meet our expectations. It’s going to take all of us. I like our players, I like our leadership that we have. I love our coaching staff as well and how we’ll work together,” said Venables. The verdict?

Last year’s offensive debacles may have been somewhat linked to Venables’ struggles, but Seth Littrell’s play calling wasn’t spectacular either. And now that Venables has brought in Ben Arbuckle as his new offensive coordinator, with important transfers like John Mateer and Jadyn Ott? The hot seat rumors might be there, but the results will be starkly opposite of the 2024 season.