ATLANTA — There will be plenty of attention on OU football Wednesday when the Sooners make their rounds at SEC media days at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Much of the focus will be on OU coach Brent Venables and quarterback John Mateer.
Venables is entering a critical fourth season with plenty of uncertainty.
The Sooners have finished with losing records in two of Venables’ three seasons, and though the defense has improved greatly during his tenure, the offense slid significantly last season under Seth Littrell and Jackson Arnold.
That led to Littrell being fired late in the season and Arnold ultimately transferring to Auburn with the hire of Ben Arbuckle as the new offensive coordinator and Mateer’s transfer from Washington State.
The college football landscape also continues to shift, with the House settlement and potential legislation looming over the sport and demanding nimble changes.
While some of the pressure of those changes was mitigated by the hiring of general manager Jim Nagy and his staff will bear much of that brunt, Venables remains the face of the program.
Venables also figures to face questions about the recent announcement that athletic director Joe Castiglione will retire, including how that eventual move will affect Venables’ job security.
While Venables isn’t likely to say much about the additional pressure of this season for him — he’s repeatedly said the pressure he puts on himself every season outweighs any external pressure — there’s no doubt this is a critical season for Venables’ tenure.
After a 6-7 finish last season, OU figures to need to show progress for Venables to remain beyond 2025.
In addition to Venables and Mateer, the Sooners will be represented at the event by…
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Publish date : 2025-07-15 22:53:00
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