Brent Venables has spent four seasons reshaping Oklahoma football, and the biggest change has come on the side of the ball that used to give the Sooners the most trouble. What was once a liability has become a calling card, and last season’s group made the case in a big way by powering Oklahoma back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.
Venables taking over full-time defensive play-calling again last season mattered, and the results backed it up. Oklahoma finished inside the top 10 nationally in several major defensive categories and turned in the best defense of Venables’ tenure in Norman.
That’s why On3’s J.D. PicKell thinks there may still be another gear here.
"They feel like internally they may have their best 11 on defense they've had since Brent Venables got to Norman," PicKell said. "That is saying something with as wacky as that group was last year.
On top of all of this, look who is in charge. Brent Venables calling the defense is not a small thing to talk about here."
The Sooners already have proof that Venables’ system works in Norman, but the setup heading into 2026 suggests the ceiling could be even higher. Oklahoma brings back several important pieces from its playoff team, and it still has one of the sport’s sharpest defensive minds steering the unit.
If that defense takes another step, it won’t just be good. It could become the backbone of a team with real national championship hopes.
In Other News...
Taylor Wein Just Made A Fascinating Oklahoma Breakout Prediction
Taylor Weins turn at SEC Media Days came with a little bit of history attached. A year after R Mason Thomas put Wein on the map as Oklahomas breakout defensive player, Wein was the one doing the spotlighting in 2026, and the Sooners have reason to pay attention when a player who has already lived through that kind of prediction starts making his own. The setting matters here, because Oklahoma is again trying to sort out who can step into a larger defensive role and become more than just a familiar name on the depth chart.
PJ Adebawore fits that conversation neatly. He has been around the program for three seasons, has appeared in every game, and has yet to make a start, but the expectation is that his role grows in 2026 as Oklahoma looks for answers on the edge. There is also a longer runway here, with another season of eligibility potentially waiting after this one, which gives the Sooners a little more flexibility as they try to replace production and find the next defender ready to follow the same breakout path. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Just Lost Ground In A Recruitment Fans Thought Was Safe
Micah Rhodes recruitment took an unexpected turn after the highly regarded 2028 running back prospect backed off his Oklahoma commitment, reopening a race that had looked settled for the Sooners. Rhodes has become one of the more sought-after backs in the class, and his profile has only grown as more programs have piled on with scholarship offers and fresh interest.
For Oklahoma, the timing stings because Rhodes was viewed as a name worth building around in the class, and now the pressure shifts to keeping pace with a national chase that has only intensified. Texas has long had a natural pull in his background, while Georgia has stayed active in the mix as well, leaving the Sooners with work to do if they want to get back into a recruitment that suddenly feels much less secure. [Read more 🡒]
OU Linebacker Room Suddenly Puts Cole Sullivan In The Spotlight
With Oklahomas linebacker room thinned by departures and injuries, Brent Venables has had to lean harder on transfer Cole Sullivan than the staff might have expected when he arrived from Michigan. Sullivan has been trained to handle multiple linebacker spots, and the Sooners have already seen him earn trust in the room, not just as a body in a depleted rotation but as a player teammates have gravitated toward.
The depth chart around him has only made his importance grow. Oklahoma has lost Kendal Daniels, Kobie McKinzie and Sammy Omosigho, while Taylor Heims injury has further squeezed the group behind the top options, leaving little margin for error at linebacker. Sullivans versatility gives the staff some flexibility, but it also puts him squarely in the middle of a situation that could keep shifting as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]