The Oklahoma Sooners have undergone a total turnaround at one key position group under head coach Brent Venables. OU’s defensive line was undersized and not physical enough for the Big 12, much less the SEC when Venables was hired to replace the departed Lincoln Riley in December of 2021.
The former defensive coordinator at Oklahoma (1999-2011) and Clemson (2012-2021) had built some of the greatest defenses in college football before getting his first head coaching job. When he left Norman, the Sooners were talented, physical and beefy in the trenches on defense. He built his Clemson defenses in the exact same fashion.
The Tigers won national championships in 2016 and 2018 and played in two more title games in 2015 and 2019. There were also two other seasons where Clemson made the College Football Playoff, but got knocked out in the semifinals (2017 and 2020). A lot of the success was largely on the back of Venables’ defenses.
Meanwhile, the Sooners also had a successful era, but it was primarily due to their offensive firepower. OU made four CFPs in five years but never made it to the championship game because they couldn’t stop their opposition from scoring.
Under defensive coordinators Mike Stoops and Alex Grinch, Oklahoma got smaller, less physical, and less talented players on the defensive side of the ball. That was evident on the defensive line most of all.
When Venables arrived in Norman, he hired Todd Bates to coach the defensive tackles and Miguel Chavis to coach the defensive ends. Over time, and through recruiting and the transfer portal, that trio has built the Oklahoma defensive line into a force again.
Cole Cubelic, a college football analyst for the SEC Network, ranked the top five defensive lines in the SEC on his podcast, “Cube Show.” He placed the Sooners atop his list, a remarkable transformation for…
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Publish date : 2025-05-31 10:36:00
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