Brent Venables gave Oklahoma exactly the kind of season that changes the conversation, but Josh Pate still doesn’t have him near the top of the SEC coaching pile.
After a 6-7 finish in 2024, Venables pushed the Sooners to a 10-3 record in Oklahoma’s second year in the SEC and got them back into the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. It was the kind of bounce-back year that looked unlikely when the season began, especially with Oklahoma carrying one of the toughest schedules in the country and a preseason projection of just seven wins.
Still, Pate slotted Venables at No. 8 among SEC coaches, placing him behind names such as Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz.
That ranking misses how far Oklahoma had to climb. There were plenty of people who viewed the Sooners as a program at risk of becoming the new Nebraska Cornhuskers - a historic brand that never quite settles in after changing conferences.
And after Oklahoma lost to Ole Miss, the national chatter turned even colder. At that point, the Sooners still had road games against Tennessee and Alabama, plus home matchups with Missouri and LSU, and many around the sport were convinced the playoff door had shut.
Venables didn’t let that happen. Oklahoma ripped off four straight wins to finish the regular season and lock down a CFP berth.
That run has only strengthened the case that Venables belongs in the upper tier of SEC coaches, even if the bigger question remains the same: can he turn this breakthrough into a real national title push?
In Other News...
John Mateer Just Started A Debate Sooners Fans Know Too Well
Summer workouts are supposed to hint at readiness, not start a full-blown quarterback debate, but John Mateer has managed to do exactly that. The Oklahoma transfer has drawn plenty of attention online for the kind of muscular build that tends to travel fast in July, and it only adds another layer to a profile that already intrigued Sooners fans when he arrived from Washington State after throwing for 2,885 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.
Gunner Stockton has become part of the same conversation, giving college football followers a second quarterback picture to argue over while Georgia keeps him in the fold for 2026. Stockton started all 14 games last season and posted big numbers in the process, and the contrast between his path and Mateers is what makes the chatter so sticky for Oklahoma observers, who know better than most that quarterback season is never just about what happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]
New NCAA Change Could Quietly Reshape Oklahoma's Future Depth
The NCAAs latest eligibility tweak may not grab much national attention, but it could end up mattering for Oklahomas roster planning in a real way. The Division I Cabinet approved a rule that gives student-athletes five years of eligibility if they enroll no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday, a shift that effectively wipes out the old redshirt framework and, for rising seniors, opens the door to an extra year for anyone who has not already used one.
For the Sooners, that creates a new layer of flexibility for a handful of players who were already in line to shape the programs next few seasons. Adepoju Adebawore, Jacobe Johnson, Xavier Robinson, Michael Boganowski and Elijah Thomas are among the names who could be affected, and for a roster that has to keep one eye on immediate production and another on long-term depth, even a subtle rule change like this can alter how Oklahoma thinks about development, retention and the shape of its future two-deep. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Earns Walter Camp Respect With Two Sooners On Preseason List
Oklahoma got a little preseason validation from Walter Camp, with kicker Tate Sandell and defensive tackle David Stone both landing on the All-America list as the Sooners begin to take shape for 2026. Sandell arrived in Norman last season and immediately became one of the nations most reliable specialists, while Stone emerged as a steady presence up front and looks poised to play another major role in the middle of the defense.
Sandells honor fits the standard he set in 2025, when he was one of the most trusted kickers in the country, and Stones recognition reflects how much his production stood out on a young defensive line. For Oklahoma, the bigger picture is encouraging: two players at very different positions are already being viewed nationally as difference-makers, and both are expected to be central to the Sooners push next fall. [Read more 🡒]