Brent Venables will step into SEC Media Days in Tampa Bay, FL, tomorrow with John Mateer, Taylor Wein and Eddy Pierre-Louis beside him, and Oklahoma’s offseason will be under the microscope. For the Sooners, the good news is that the spring was mostly uneventful.
A few minor injuries popped up, but nothing that was expected to derail summer workouts. In other words, Norman stayed quiet.
Quiet, though, doesn’t mean there aren’t real questions waiting for Venables and his players.
One of the biggest centers on the run game. Venables didn’t mince words in the spring when he called Oklahoma’s rushing attack “pathetic” over the last few seasons, and the numbers backed up the frustration.
Last season, no OU running back reached 50 yards, which had not happened since 1999. That made improving the ground game a clear offseason priority.
There’s been some movement there already. Starting backs Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson missed all or most of spring ball because of injuries, but both have since returned for summer workouts.
Even so, the Sooners spent the spring trying to build a better foundation in the run game with first-year running backs coach Deland McCullough and a more experienced offensive line that struggled to create rushing lanes last season. The key question now is straightforward: did Oklahoma do everything it could in spring and summer to get that part of the offense where it needs to be?
The answer won’t show up until the Sooners actually play, but Venables or Pierre-Louis should be able to give a sense of where things stand heading into fall camp.
Defense brings a different kind of question, and it starts with depth. Oklahoma is bringing back eight of 11 starters on that side of the ball, but several spots behind the starters are still being filled by players with little or no game experience. That makes the next layer on the roster a major storyline.
Venables called the 2025 defensive depth a “secret sauce” for the team’s success, so the obvious follow-up is whether he feels better about that part of the roster now than he did in the spring. How the Sooners look at defensive line, linebacker and safety depth could end up shaping their 2026 season.
Then there’s Mateer, whose 2025 injury is no longer the issue it once was. Health matters, of course, but Mateer has also said in offseason interviews that the injury - or his trouble gripping the football - was not the only reason for his mistakes last season.
So the real question is what gives him confidence that this year will look significantly different. Oklahoma’s schedule is tough, and Mateer may need to bring more explosiveness, not just cleaner play with the ball.
There’s also the matter of being a second-year starter at Oklahoma and having another season of experience against SEC talent. And after a year together, is there better chemistry with the skill players around him?
Those are the kinds of answers Oklahoma fans will be waiting for when the Sooners take the stage in Tampa.
In Other News...
Sooners May Have An Unexpected Answer To Their Run Game Problem
Oklahomas rushing attack has been one of the biggest issues since the move into the SEC, and the Sooners spent the offseason trying to fix it with a reworked approach under Kevin Wilson, Bill Bedenbaugh, Deland McCullough and Jason Witten. The hope is simple enough: find a backfield answer that can help the offense stay on schedule and make the ground game a real part of the identity again.
One name drawing attention is Lloyd Avant, who reportedly made a strong impression in spring practice and has emerged as a possible X-factor heading into fall camp. The challenge for Oklahoma is sorting out how he fits in a crowded backfield that also includes Xavier Robinson, Tory Blaylock, Jonathan Hatton Jr. and DeZephen Walker, which makes the next few weeks especially important for a unit still searching for clarity. [Read more 🡒]
Taylor Wein Just Made A Fascinating Oklahoma Breakout Prediction
At SEC Media Days in 2025, R Mason Thomas put Taylor Wein on the radar as a breakout defensive player for Oklahoma, and the call wound up looking pretty sharp once Wein delivered a strong season. A year later, Wein was the one carrying the Sooners message in front of the league, and he was asked to identify the next defender who could make a similar jump as Oklahoma keeps reshaping its front.
The name he pointed to fits the profile of a player who has been around long enough to be trusted, but not yet fully unleashed. PJ Adebawore has appeared in every game over three seasons without making a start, and the Sooners are looking for more production off the edge as they move on from Thomas. With a larger role expected in 2026 and another year of eligibility potentially in play after that, Adebawore is one of the more intriguing developmental bets on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Brent Venables Thinks Oklahomas Tight End Room Just Took A Big Step
Oklahomas tight end room looks a lot different heading toward the 2026 season, and Brent Venables says the change has been more than cosmetic. The Sooners have rebuilt the group with transfers, and the early read from the head coach is that the room has gone from a question mark to a position that can actually move the offense forward.
Venables has been especially encouraged by the way the new setup has come together in the meeting room and on the field, with quarterback John Mateer also backing the direction of the offense. The bigger point for Oklahoma is practical: if the tight ends keep settling in, the Sooners believe it should give their run game a real boost. [Read more 🡒]