Todd McShay doesn’t need much convincing when it comes to Oklahoma’s setup. From his vantage point around the college game, the Sooners have put together the kind of operation other programs are trying to copy.
Speaking on the Brandon Walker College Football Show, the NFL draft analyst pointed straight to the structure in Norman and the way general manager Jim Nagy and head coach Brent Venables have divided the work.
“At Oklahoma, they have built the model. I can tell you now because I’m dealing with a lot of these GMs in college,” McShay said in an appearance on the Brandon Walker College Football Show. “That front office for the Oklahoma Sooners is the model that everyone’s chasing right now.”
McShay’s praise centered on how much support Nagy has built around the staff. The scouting side handles a major share of the talent evaluation and acquisition work, which lets the coaches stay focused on development once players are in the building.
“They understand the salary cap,” McShay said. “Everything that was pitched from Mike Lombardi and Bill Belichick (at North Carolina) about the 33rd NFL team is what’s actually going on in Norman.”
Venables said earlier this month that the arrangement has been a strong fit since Nagy arrived in Norman about 18 months ago. That stretch has already included two transfer portal windows and more work alongside the coaching staff on high school recruiting.
“I think it’s gone really well,” Venables said earlier this month. “My job is to always look at things from a holistic standpoint, how we can get better, how we can be more efficient, and we’ve tried to do that each and every off-season.
“… They want to win. We’ve blended our culture.
They’ve bought into how we do what we do. There’s a bottom-line expectation, and that’s no surprise.”
McShay said the real strength of the Oklahoma setup is how clearly everyone knows their lane.
“Salary cap, positional value, recruiting the right players, time spent - this is the thing that gets lost,” McShay said. “… Everyone in that organization efficiently is doing the job that they are best suited to do without having to worry about all the other nonsense that can come with coaching college football these days. That’s why it’s the model.”
That structure, in McShay’s view, also gives quarterback John Mateer a chance to have a big season. He said the talent has always been there, but the mechanics have been a work in progress.
“The biggest thing with Mateer (last year) was I don’t know how this human being fits balls into tight spots the way he does when his mechanics are an absolute disaster,” McShay said. “And then I watch him come out at Manning Passing Academy, and listen. Until bullets fly, I’m not convinced.
“But if he’s able to, with bullets flying during the season, have the same condensed, balanced, driving the ball, hip rotation like everyone at the quarterback camp is teaching these days, I saw a different version of him. And it’s a much more reliable, consistent, trustworthy stroke and delivery process for him.”
McShay said the offseason work could matter even more once the games start, especially after Mateer’s move from Washington State to Oklahoma through the portal. He also pointed to the thumb injury that slowed him down last season.
“I was so hyped about Mateer last year after studying his film at Washington State and thinking about what he could be at Oklahoma,” McShay said. “And then the thumb injury happens and he literally was just grinding it out. He couldn’t even throw the ball beyond 15 yards and they still wound up in the playoff.
“I think now if he’s right… I think Oklahoma could be a dark horse and I think Mateer could be the guy that really surprises people this season.”
In Other News...
Jonathan Hatton Jr Is Giving Oklahoma A New Backfield Dilemma
Jonathan Hatton Jr. has quickly become one of the more interesting parts of Oklahomas preseason backfield picture, and not just because he is the biggest running back on the roster. The Sooners brought him in with the expectation that his size would help, but what has stood out is how well that frame moves, giving him a different kind of presence in a room already full of runners trying to carve out a role.
The competition around him is crowded enough to make every rep matter, with Lloyd Avant viewed as a possible starter and Xavier Robinson getting the early edge in camp. There are still other names in the mix, and the group could keep shifting as the preseason unfolds, especially with one of the more familiar options working back from a hamstring issue. For Oklahoma, the intrigue is less about whether Hatton belongs and more about how much of the backfield he can force his way into. [Read more 🡒]
Isaiah Sategna Sees A Different Edge In Oklahomas Offense
Isaiah Sategna has quickly become one of the more noticeable pieces of Oklahomas offense this fall, with the Arkansas transfer helping lead the receivers through camp. He has sounded confident in where the group stands heading into the season, and that confidence seems tied to the work being put in every day around a unit that is trying to sharpen both its passing game and its running game.
Sategna pointed to the offenses depth and the value of the constant competition in practice, especially going against Brent Venables defense on a daily basis. For Oklahoma, the hope is that those reps add up to a cleaner, more detailed attack when the games start counting, but the real test will be whether all that camp work translates once the lights come on. [Read more 🡒]