Brent Venables didn’t spend Tuesday pretending Oklahoma’s offensive line situation is anything but messy.
With the Red River Shootout looming against No. 1 Texas on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Sooners coach used his weekly press conference to zero in on the same issues that have dogged his team: inconsistency up front, turnover in the offensive line room, and the challenge of getting enough stability before a high-stakes matchup.
“It’s been incredibly inconsistent, very disappointing,” Venables said. “That is a critical piece. That is a piece that probably requires the most development at any position that you have on your roster.”
That’s the heart of the problem for Oklahoma, which won the Joe Moore Award in 2018 as college football’s best offensive line and has had strong units since under line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. But the recent version has not looked anything like that standard.
Venables pointed to the churn as a major obstacle.
“Way too many guys are coming and going at that position group and we need continuity and consistency in order to develop that group into what we want,” Venables said. “We’ve got six guys coming in in the ’27 class. It’s going to be incredibly important to bring back a good majority of the guys that are already here, that are young guys that are developing as we speak.
“But it’s been very unstable and certainly not the kind of development that you want from top to bottom.”
The roster movement backs up that concern. Oklahoma added Luke Baklenko, Jake Maikkula and Derek Simmons before the 2025 season, but only Maikkula became a regular. In the same offseason, the Sooners lost Josh Bates, Geirean Hatchett, Josh Aisosa and Eugene Brooks through the portal.
This offseason brought another wave of change, with E’Marion Harris, Peyton Joseph, Caleb Nitta and Fred Hinton arriving. Oklahoma also lost Jake Taylor, Logan Howland, Jacob Sexton, Isaiah Autry-Dent, Troy Everett and Baklenko. Taylor, Howland, Sexton and Everett all logged significant snaps, while Harris has started through four games and struggled at right tackle and none of the others have played major minutes.
Even with the offensive issues hanging over the program, Venables made it clear he still trusts quarterback John Mateer to sort through his own uneven stretch. He had already backed Mateer during the bye week, and he doubled down Tuesday.
“He cares about being a great teammates, being the leader of a football team playing well,” Venables said. “He carries, again, a heavy weight when it comes to that.”
“Last he had, again, a good week and responded well,” Venables said. “Not an easy thing to do, but I believe in him.”
The bye week gave Oklahoma time to look inward, and Venables said that process has only become more intense because of the recent offensive struggles.
“We've been under a lot of pressure,” Venables said. “We need to apply the pressure.”
He also said the Sooners faced a similar setup two years ago, when they entered the Red River Shootout off a bye with an offense trying to find itself.
“Like anything, when you're not having the success that you want, you lift the cushions up, pull the curtains back,” Venables said.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning arrives with 862 passing yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions, plus 82 rushing yards. Against Oklahoma last season, he threw for 166 yards and a touchdown and added 34 yards on the ground.
“Arch is a fantastic talent,” Venables said. “He's got a cannon of an arm.
He can really run. He's a teremendous athlete.
I think he knows that. ... He's got no weaknesses when it comes to his talent, his ability, his arms, his legs, his instincts.”
Manning has only 32 carries this season, but Venables still emphasized the need for Oklahoma to handle the quarterback as part of a complete defensive effort.
“You got to play great team defense,” Venables said. “It starts in the run game, but great pass coverage comes from guys doing their job up front.”
In Other News...
John Mateers Response To Oklahomas Offensive Pressure Says A Lot
John Mateers first month as Oklahomas starting quarterback has come with the usual mix of flashes and frustration. Through four games, he has put up 883 passing yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions, and the Sooners offense has had enough uneven stretches to invite criticism from outside the building.
Mateer, though, doesnt sound rattled by any of it as Oklahoma comes out of its off week and turns its attention to No. 1 Texas. He has leaned into the idea of trusting the process and keeping the focus on improving the operation at the Cotton Bowl, which is exactly the kind of response the Sooners need as the pressure rises and the schedule stiffens. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma May Finally Need More From Elijah Thomas
Elijah Thomas has been more of a flashpoint than a fixture for Oklahoma through the first month of the 2026 season, but the sophomore receivers role may be on the verge of changing. He has four catches for 38 yards through four games, yet offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle has made clear he believes the talent is there and that the Sooners need to find ways to get Thomas the ball more often.
The timing matters now, with transfer wideout Trell Harris sidelined by an injury that Brent Venables said will keep him out for the foreseeable future. Oklahoma already had reason to explore a bigger role for Thomas, and Harriss absence only sharpens the need for another reliable target in a passing game still sorting out its pecking order. [Read more 🡒]
Former Sooner Lane Johnson Brings An All-Time Career To A Sudden End
Lane Johnsons playing days ended the way his career spent so much of its time in the spotlight: suddenly, and with the kind of weight that comes with being one of the NFLs most accomplished blockers. The former Oklahoma standout announced his immediate retirement, closing the book on an Eagles career that never took him anywhere else and leaving behind a rsum built on six Pro Bowl nods, steady excellence and the kind of pass protection that changed games for years.
For Sooners fans, Johnson has long been one of the clearest links between Norman and NFL success, a homegrown star who turned rare athleticism into an all-time run in Philadelphia. His decision also puts a human face on a career that was never just about accolades, after he pointed to his mental health and his previous struggles with anxiety as part of the reason for stepping away. [Read more 🡒]