Brent Venables has already shown he can clean up a mess.
That’s the biggest reason there’s confidence around Oklahoma as the 2026 season approaches. Under Venables, the Sooners have gone from being a team with major defensive issues to one that now has a championship-caliber unit on that side of the ball. The numbers tell the story: Oklahoma ranked No. 122 in total defense when Venables arrived, then climbed to No. 80 in Year 2, No. 19 in Year 3 and No. 6 in Year 4.
The same kind of turnaround has shown up on special teams, too. Oklahoma checked in at No. 72 in special teams efficiency in 2022, dropped to No. 127 in 2023, then moved up to No. 41 in 2024 and No. 10 in 2025.
Now the challenge shifts to the offense, and that’s where the pressure sits heading into 2026. The Sooners were No. 13 in total offense in 2022, No. 3 in 2023, then fell to No. 113 in 2024 and No. 92 in 2025. If Oklahoma is going to contend for an SEC title and a national championship, that side of the ball has to catch up.
On3’s J.D. PicKell isn’t betting against Venables to figure it out.
"Brent Venables is a fixer," PicKell said on 'The Hard Count.'"From one year to the next, it is very rare to see Oklahoma have the same struggles in a specific department of their football team carry over year-over-year."
That’s the bet on Venables now: he’s already proven he can take over a broken phase of the team and move it in the right direction. If the offense makes the same kind of leap the defense and special teams have made, Oklahoma could become one of the most complete teams in the country.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Got A Huge New Roster Question This Offseason
A federal judges latest ruling could create an unexpected layer of uncertainty around Oklahomas offseason roster, opening the door for some players to pursue a fifth college season even after exhausting four years of eligibility. The decision applies to athletes from the 2022 recruiting class and arrives despite the NCAAs planned five-in-five rule, which was not supposed to take effect until the 2027 recruiting class, giving programs across the country another potential round of roster movement to monitor.
For the Sooners, the issue is especially notable because several players on the 2025 roster could fall into that window and suddenly have a choice to make after the 2026 NFL Draft. If any of those players decide college is still the better move, Oklahoma could be dealing with a fresh wave of roster decisions well after the usual offseason business is supposed to be settled. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Enters Camp With One Huge Question Up Front
Fall camp is about to open for Oklahoma, and with Brent Venables heading into his fifth year, the Sooners still have a familiar source of intrigue up front. The defensive tackle room has been reshaped by NFL departures, graduation and transfers, but Jayden Jackson and David Stone are back as the anchors, giving Todd Bates at least a proven starting point in a unit that was among the better-regarded parts of the defense a year ago.
What comes next is the real test, because the Sooners need that group to hold up after losing so much experience. Oklahoma has blended in transfers and freshmen to help fill the gaps, and the early weeks of camp will go a long way toward showing whether the new-look interior line can match the standard the program expects, or whether this becomes the kind of spot that takes time to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas 2026 Offense Hinges On One Long Awaited Change
Fall camp has arrived in Norman, and with it comes a familiar offseason priority for the Sooners: making the run game and offensive line sturdier before the 2026 season gets underway. Oklahoma has spent the buildup adding experience on both fronts, bringing in offensive lineman EMarion Harris and running backs coach Deland McCullough as part of a broader push to add physicality and depth. The goal is clear enough, even if the work is just getting started, with the opener against UTEP serving as the first chance to see whether the changes are showing up where they matter most.
For Oklahoma, this is about more than just shoring up one phase of the offense. The Sooners have returning players mixed with new additions, and the challenge now is turning that blend into a line and backfield that can hold up over a full season. The identity they are chasing is a more dependable, more physical attack, and fall camp will reveal how close they are to getting it before the spotlight tightens in September. [Read more 🡒]