Oklahoma’s defense has already shown it can carry plenty of weight, but the conversation around the Sooners keeps circling back to the same place: the offense.
That was the point former Oklahoma All-American center Gabe Ikard made on “The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman,” where he said the Sooners still have to change the way people view them on that side of the ball.
"That's the easy thing to point to," Ikard said. "People are just going to have to see it before they believe it with OU's offense."
The numbers explain why the doubt lingers. In Oklahoma’s first season in the SEC in 2024, the Sooners finished No. 113 in total offense, No. 119 in passing offense, No. 76 in rushing offense and No. 97 in scoring offense. That rough stretch helped lead to offensive coordinator Seth Littrell being fired midseason, and it also ended with the Sooners parting ways with former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold.
Oklahoma tried to reset the room by bringing in Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and star quarterback John Mateer. The offense did improve, but not nearly enough to quiet the bigger concerns. The Sooners still landed at No. 92 in total offense, No. 60 in passing offense, No. 113 in rushing offense and No. 79 in scoring offense.
That’s why 2026 feels like the proving year. Oklahoma has poured resources into fixing the offense, and the expectation now is simple: the changes have to show up on the field. The Sooners can win with a dominant defense, but as Ikard pointed out, respect at the highest level usually comes when both sides of the ball are pulling their weight.
For Oklahoma, the belief problem won’t go away until the offense starts producing like one of the nation’s best.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Got A Huge New Roster Question This Offseason
A federal judges latest ruling could create an unexpected layer of uncertainty around Oklahomas offseason roster, opening the door for some players to pursue a fifth college season even after exhausting four years of eligibility. The decision applies to athletes from the 2022 recruiting class and arrives despite the NCAAs planned five-in-five rule, which was not supposed to take effect until the 2027 recruiting class, giving programs across the country another potential round of roster movement to monitor.
For the Sooners, the issue is especially notable because several players on the 2025 roster could fall into that window and suddenly have a choice to make after the 2026 NFL Draft. If any of those players decide college is still the better move, Oklahoma could be dealing with a fresh wave of roster decisions well after the usual offseason business is supposed to be settled. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Enters Camp With One Huge Question Up Front
Fall camp is about to open for Oklahoma, and with Brent Venables heading into his fifth year, the Sooners still have a familiar source of intrigue up front. The defensive tackle room has been reshaped by NFL departures, graduation and transfers, but Jayden Jackson and David Stone are back as the anchors, giving Todd Bates at least a proven starting point in a unit that was among the better-regarded parts of the defense a year ago.
What comes next is the real test, because the Sooners need that group to hold up after losing so much experience. Oklahoma has blended in transfers and freshmen to help fill the gaps, and the early weeks of camp will go a long way toward showing whether the new-look interior line can match the standard the program expects, or whether this becomes the kind of spot that takes time to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas 2026 Offense Hinges On One Long Awaited Change
Fall camp has arrived in Norman, and with it comes a familiar offseason priority for the Sooners: making the run game and offensive line sturdier before the 2026 season gets underway. Oklahoma has spent the buildup adding experience on both fronts, bringing in offensive lineman EMarion Harris and running backs coach Deland McCullough as part of a broader push to add physicality and depth. The goal is clear enough, even if the work is just getting started, with the opener against UTEP serving as the first chance to see whether the changes are showing up where they matter most.
For Oklahoma, this is about more than just shoring up one phase of the offense. The Sooners have returning players mixed with new additions, and the challenge now is turning that blend into a line and backfield that can hold up over a full season. The identity they are chasing is a more dependable, more physical attack, and fall camp will reveal how close they are to getting it before the spotlight tightens in September. [Read more 🡒]