Nobody was doing spring ball as aggressively as Oklahoma. After their Crimson Combine game on Saturday, Brent Venables said, “[You] see transformation. Completely different groups than what they looked like a few short months ago.” And it sure looks like it. Oklahoma was attacking all its gaps from last year in spring practice, which makes the present team look like one ready to rack up a storm on the field. Can the HC finally see more credit coming his way this year?

Oklahoma began its debut year in the SEC last season. The conference is far from a cakewalk for even its veteran teams. Venables couldn’t pull the Sooners through it successfully. He published the same record as that of his first season as HC (6-7), unable to do better or match his 2023 finish of 10-3. In the SEC, the Sooners began their year by finishing as the 13th-best. This year, however, is a new and promising chapter for Brent Venables.

That SEC Football Podcast’s Mike Bratton ranked his top 10 teams post-spring ball. He placed Oklahoma at No. 6. That’s a huge improvement for Venables, who was ranked 12 in Bratton’s list of the best 10 teams before spring. Bratton said in his praise for Oklahoma, “I’ve been kind of blown away by some of the additions they’ve made.” He noted, in particular, the returning offensive production in the SEC, where the Sooners stood at No. 4 with an impressive 71%. “That’s a huge uptick,” the host noted.

“John Mateer, you guys know what I think of him already. [I] think he could be one of the best quarterbacks in the entire SEC. Deion Burks, who didn’t get to play a ton last year, I think he is maybe the most underrated receiver,” Bratton said. He, however, had doubts about Brent Venables as HC. “[Still] got major questions on how good of a head coach Brent Venables is,” the host said.

Let’s face it: the man’s resume so far doesn’t sell him as a great head coach. With only 3 seasons as HC, he’s sandwiched a great year with two bad ones before and after it. There’s, however, high praise for Brent Venables, the DC, with Bratton also going to the limits of placing him ahead of Kirby Smart in that category.

However, it seems like Venables took stock of what was on the line and has locked himself into producing a better season this year. “I think Oklahoma is a playoff contender. I really do.” Bratton declared. On the one hand, Brent Venables has a chance to turn the tide against him this season, given how his roster is looking. On the other, the HC was dealt a brutal card in the transfer portal.

Brent Venables suffers major blow in the spring portal

You don’t always get everything you want in life, right? Venables, too, faced a similar loss for a significant addition he made to his roster. RB Jaydyn Ott came to Oklahoma from California with an impressive 2,587 yards from his time at the latter. But Venables’ roster gain came with a loss, with star RB Gavin Sawchuck leaving his camp.

Sawchuck is no inexperienced player, either. His career total yards so far, including both passing and rushing, is 1,107. With Ott’s arrival, it looked like he’d be the main guy for Venables in the room instead of Sawchuck. Despite his numbers, the former Oklahoma RB was inconsistent and often suffered from injuries. With him gone, Venables now stands at 31 players who transferred over the winter and spring. Another RB who also left Oklahoma in the spring was Sam Franklin, who has a total of 2,253 yards.

Thankfully, with Ott’s numbers and talents, it looks like Venables is still good to go in the running back room. He looks to be coming off strong as an HC in 2025 after a rigorous spring ball. He has no other option because Venables will be facing one of the toughest schedules in the season. Will 2025 be a year of redemption for the Sooners HC?