Oklahoma’s offense has reached the point where change feels inevitable, and that change is expected to come at coordinator. The Sooners are expected to fire Ben Arbuckle in his second season, sources confirmed to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, after another rough showing in a 42-25 home loss to South Carolina on Saturday. Oklahoma managed just three first-half points on offense in that defeat.
Arbuckle arrived in Norman in 2024 as a promising, inventive hire from Washington State, where he helped guide one of college football’s most productive attacks. Oklahoma also brought in starting quarterback John Mateer with him, landing the No. 3 quarterback in the transfer portal that year. The pairing was supposed to jump-start a unit that had been searching for answers.
Instead, the results have gone the other way. After an uneven first season that was complicated by a hand injury to Mateer, the Sooners’ offense has fallen apart in Year 2. Oklahoma ranks No. 15 in the SEC in both total offense and scoring offense, even with defensive and special teams touchdowns helping prop up the scoreboard.
The move would add another chapter to Brent Venables’ ongoing shuffle on offense. Since Jeff Lebby left for Mississippi State, the Sooners’ production has dropped sharply. Venables already fired Seth Littrell seven games into his first season in 2024, and he also dismissed multiple assistant coaches after the 2025 season.
Now Oklahoma is staring at the possibility of its third losing season in five years under Venables, along with a real threat of missing a bowl game for the first time since John Blake’s final season in 1998. The Sooners are 4-4, and the schedule ahead is brutal, with No.
12 Ole Miss, No. 19 Missouri and No.
25 Florida still to come.
Mateer was supposed to be the answer at quarterback after Oklahoma’s problems there in 2024, when the Sooners struggled through the season with five-star starter Jackson Arnold and true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., both of whom transferred out. There were bright spots early in Mateer’s time at Oklahoma, including a game against No. 15 Michigan in 2025 when he threw for 270 yards, rushed for 74 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns.
But since hand surgery a year ago, his play has cratered. Mateer finished last season with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and this year he has 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His rushing has been limited to 1.7 yards per carry, and in a 21-13 loss to Kentucky, he threw one touchdown and three interceptions.
The quarterback change Oklahoma hoped would solve everything has not delivered that kind of fix.
The problems also run well beyond the coordinator’s headset. Arbuckle has struggled to mold the offense into his vision, but the bigger issue has been the line in front of him. Oklahoma’s offensive line has been a mess for much of the last five years, and the damage has only gotten worse.
The Sooners rank No. 131 nationally at 3.2 yards per carry and have scored a nation-worst three rushing touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has Oklahoma as the No. 105 run-blocking unit in the country, behind UTEP. Top offensive lineman Michael Fasusi missed several games, but the unit has been bad regardless.
That leaves Venables facing another major evaluation after the season, including longtime offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. No coordinator is going to thrive with that kind of inconsistency up front.
If Venables is still in place in 2027, the next offensive coordinator search will be a tricky one. Oklahoma would be looking for its sixth new playcaller in six years, and the last two full-time hires were both fired midseason before reaching two full seasons on the job. Since Lebby departed - and Lincoln Riley’s players cycled out - coaching the Sooners’ offense has become a dead-end assignment.
After missing on a young, rising candidate, Venables may be pushed toward a more established name. He continues to run the defense, and the offense has steadily declined under that setup. With the head coach focused on one side of the ball, Oklahoma could look to follow Texas’ lead and hire a “head coach of the offense” type of role.
The bigger question is who would want the job under these circumstances. Venables is on the hot seat, and the fit could be difficult to sell.
Could Oklahoma lure Mike Norvell? Or will the Sooners be forced to settle for a second-tier option?
In Other News...
OUs Offensive Reset Now Hinges On One Huge Brent Venables Decision
Oklahomas offensive reset has already taken one major turn, with Ben Arbuckle out as offensive coordinator and Jason Witten now handling play-calling duties after the Sooners 4-4 start. The move signals how much urgency has built around an offense that has not found its footing, and it puts the spotlight squarely on Brent Venables as he tries to steady a season that has drifted off course.
The quarterback situation is part of the same conversation, with John Mateer coming off a rough stretch and Whitt Newbauer potentially in line for an opportunity, even though no official change has been announced. Beyond the immediate shuffle, the bigger question is where Oklahoma goes next on offense and who Venables ultimately trusts to help define that direction. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Just Landed A Texas Legacy Fans Will Love
Oklahoma added an eye-catching name to its 2028 recruiting class when Logan Lokey, a four-star defensive lineman from Denton Guyer High School, announced his commitment. The son of former Texas defensive lineman Derek Lokey, he arrives with plenty of pedigree and plenty of attention, especially as an in-state recruit who had several major offers on the table.
What makes the decision stand out for Sooners fans is the school he passed over. Lokey is ranked No. 29 among defensive linemen in his class and has already made a strong impression at Denton Guyer, but Oklahoma beat out Texas and others to land him. For a program always looking to win key battles on the trail, getting a legacy recruit with Texas ties is the kind of early victory that tends to resonate. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Faces Another Offensive Reset Under Brent Venables
Another offensive reset is underway in Norman, with Brent Venables moving on from Ben Arbuckle during his second season running the Oklahoma program. The change leaves the Sooners searching again for stability on that side of the ball, and it adds another layer to a coaching tenure that has already seen plenty of turnover.
Jason Witten has been named interim offensive coordinator, giving Oklahoma a temporary answer while Venables sorts out the longer-term plan. The next hire will be especially significant, because it will be the fourth full-time offensive coordinator of Venables six-year run with the Sooners, a sign of how hard it has been to find continuity on offense. [Read more 🡒]