Oklahoma’s defense has become so tied to Brent Venables’ brainpower that the players doing the dirty work can get lost in the shuffle.
That was the point ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic made on “The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman,” where he pushed back on the idea that the Sooners’ defensive success last season was only about scheme. Venables is widely respected for the way he mixes looks and disguises, and Oklahoma finished as a top 10 defense in college football last season on the way back to the College Football Playoff. But Cubelic said the conversation needs to include the guys on the field, not just the coach on the sideline.
“I thought last year, people credited the scheme more than they credited the players, and it's not that that's not necessarily applicable," Cubelic said. "I need people to understand that Oklahoma also had individual players last year that could win their one-on-ones on a very consistent basis. Against any group at any different time."
That overlooked group didn’t come away empty-handed in preseason recognition, either. Oklahoma had no first-team preseason All-SEC defenders, even though the unit has a case as the league’s best. The Sooners did land five second-team selections: defensive linemen Taylor Wein and David Stone, linebacker Kip Lewis and defensive backs Peyton and Eli Bowen.
Venables has built his reputation on putting defenders in position to succeed, and that part of the story isn’t going anywhere. But Oklahoma’s rise on defense has also come from recruiting and developing players who can handle their own in one-on-one situations against elite competition.
If that standard holds in 2026, the national attention around Oklahoma’s defense should start following the players, not just the scheme.
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Spring practices suggested there is at least some traction to work with, but the job is still wide open and the Sooners are treating it as an honest competition rather than a settled depth chart. For a team that has leaned on the tight end in key moments, the next few months will determine whether this becomes a quiet strength or another question mark heading into the season. [Read more 🡒]
New NCAA Ruling Opens A Wild Return Possibility For Former Sooners
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For Oklahoma fans, the practical impact is more novelty than expectation, since most of the Sooners who could theoretically benefit are already in the NFL or tied up by professional contracts. Still, the ruling opens the door just enough to make for an odd little watch item around the program, with several former Sooners at least falling into the category of players who could, in theory, come back for another college football run. [Read more 🡒]
Parker Livingstone Could Change What Oklahoma's Offense Looks Like
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Livingstones arrival also matters beyond just this season, because his role could help define how Oklahoma wants to attack with John Mateer now and with Bowe Bentley down the road. If he settles in the way the staff hopes, he could become more than just another addition to the rotation and instead a player who helps change the way the Sooners deploy their offense going forward. [Read more 🡒]