Following a disastrous 2024 season—hobbled by a 6-7 record and a lackluster SEC debut—Brent Venables has gone all in at the middle of the table, initiating massive overhauls of the program in an attempt to turn the tide. The university has countered by dumping additional resources into a full-scale teardown—fresh hires, an outside consultant, and doubling down on hard charges in the transfer portal and NIL arena. The message is clear: boom or bust for Venables and the Sooners in 2025.

And mention of the offense—step forward Ben Arbuckle, the 29-year-old wunderkind who must revive new life to a unit that fizzled last season. Arbuckle, who just worked at Washington State as the offensive coordinator, is young, hungry, and full of energy. Arbuckle’s relationship with transfer quarterback John Mateer, who ranked first in total touchdowns in the FBS last year, is one to monitor. With a rebuilt O-line and playmaker Jadyn Ott in the backfield, the Sooners are hoping that Arbuckle’s energy and scheme can unlock an offense to complement Venables’ defensive lineage. But there has been another addition to the Sooners team, which is a big blast from the past.

In his latest conversation in the HOF College football on the 14th of June, the hosts discuss recent Oklahoma news. “Now that we bring along an offense that has an offensive coordinator, a quarterback coach, and the actual quarterback all as a package deal to add to [defense], which was a Lamborghini just needed somebody to drive,” says host Bishop. “The X factor is Kevin Wilson to go with BV’s defense. I’m sorry we about to we about to put some work in, and I just all I know is you know documentation big conversation, but all those receipts will be coming due, and you will see,” he adds.

Kevin Wilson’s homecoming to Oklahoma as an offensive analyst is the type of news that Sooners fans are abuzz about—a veteran returning at precisely the right time. He was the mastermind behind some of the most dynamic offenses in school history, including the 2008 team that set record books ablaze and sent Sam Bradford to the Heisman stage. He was the winner of the Broyles Award as the country’s best assistant, and his offenses featured hurry-up tempos, deep passing, and a scoring mentality that did not pause, characteristics that made Oklahoma a national power.

Now, as an analyst, Wilson isn’t here to make calls or tread on the toes of first-year offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. Instead, he’s the sage old man in the room, providing decades worth of experience, breaking down film, and assisting the staff as they try to repair an offense that stalled last season. Wilson’s offenses were quick, aggressive, and entertaining—a great fit for Oklahoma’s bravado. Having spent time as head coach at Indiana and Tulsa, and as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, Wilson is once again in Norman. He’s here to serve as a mentor, a sounding board, and a hidden ace for Arbuckle and the rest of the offense.

The Mateer-Arbuckle chemistry

As Kevin Wilson settles in quietly in his analyst’s chair, the spotlight in Norman is hot—and it’s not only the new old blood that has everyone abuzz. This is the year Brent Venables is being tested by fire, and he’s coming with a new-look offense in tow, courtesy of a quarterback named John Mateer and upstart coordinator Ben Arbuckle. After a 6-7 season that had Sooner faithful heads spinning, Venables isn’t sitting idly by waiting for things to go right. He’s all-in, taking a swing at the fences with a roster makeover and a rough schedule. John Mateer, the Washington State transfer, is more than another arm—scouts are hailing him as the lone most impactful transfer of the 2025 cycle, a player who makes the Sooners “2+ points better” by merely putting foot on the field.

Step in Ben Arbuckle. He and Mateer share a chemistry that’s all too uncommon in college football—a continuity that allows Oklahoma’s offense to start on the go, no uncomfortable feeling-out process necessary. Analysts are dubbing this combination the dark horse of the SEC, and they have good reason to: Mateer threw for more than 3,100 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, and he has a stable of playmakers at his disposal, from Javonnie Gibson to Jaydn Ott.

The schedule is gauntlet—beginning with a not-so-daunting stretch against Illinois State, Michigan, Temple, Auburn, and Kent State, but then jumping headfirst into the SEC shark tank. After a possible 5-0 beginning, the Sooners deal with South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, and LSU. But here’s the catch: five of those seven teams will have first-year quarterbacks. That’s where Venables’ risk begins to appear genius. Mateer’s already proven, already acclimated to Arbuckle’s regime, and with an arsenal of weapons at his disposal. Venables himself is under fire. But he’s not ducking. He’s accepted the heat, revamped the staff, and added the type of personnel that might turn Oklahoma into a surprise force in the SEC.