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College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

Will the SEC Prove Too Much for Brent Venables and the Sooners?

Oklahoma leaves behind the Big 12 for a much tougher path to success

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Oklahoma coach Brent Venables is seen before a Bedlam college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman
Oklahoma HC Brent Venables. 

By Rock Westfall

The Oklahoma Sooners are one of the most storied programs in college football history. Oklahoma brings seven national championships and 50 league titles to the SEC. As good as the Sooners’ tradition and reputation is, the man-eating SEC will put all of that to the maximum test.

Oklahoma’s brand, like Notre Dame, Nebraska, USC, and others is built upon a glorious past. But that past is fading in the rear-view mirror, at least by national championship standards.

A deeper dive reveals that since Hall of Fame legend Barry Switzer led OU to the 1974 and 1975 national championships, OU has only two nattys (1985 and 2000). Admittedly it has done much better in conference play, where the Sooners have claimed 14 Big 12 championships since 2000. However, while the Big 12 was often underrated, it was never at the level of the SEC. 

An Entirely Different Beast

Switzer used to say that coaching at Oklahoma was like feeding a beast. Oklahoma had better be a beast starting immediately. That is because the SEC has been the best league in college football for two decades. No other league can match the SEC for dedication to cause, recruiting, financing, fan passion and prospect footprint.

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Oklahoma is joining a league that competes everywhere for recruits, especially in the Sooners’ current areas of priority. Additionally, Oklahoma’s old rival from the Big 12 has significantly stepped up the quality of prospects signed. Furthermore, OU is coming out of a Big 12 that was about high-octane offense while lacking the defense and physicality of the SEC. The two leagues are opposites in playing style and culture.

Oklahoma’s maiden voyage in the SEC will be with an unproven sophomore QB and a head coach who is yet to earn the full faith and credit of its fan base. 

Venables Could Soon be Vulnerable

Head coach Brent Venables arrived at Oklahoma on December 5, 2021, after Lincoln Riley bolted for USC in the middle of the night, taking key star players and coaches with him to La-La Land. Thus, Venables inherited a firestorm and a demoralized fan base. After winning his first three games, the roof caved in with a final record of 6-7 for 2022.

There was improvement in 2023. Oklahoma started 7-0, but faded down the stretch to finish 10-3. Losses to Kansas, Oklahoma State, and in the Alamo Bowl to Arizona stunned Sooner fans, who believe OU should never lose to such programs.

Venables made his bones as a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and later Clemson. But his success in that role has not yet translated as a head coach. Although Oklahoma has shown defensive improvement, it still ranked a mediocre 49th for points allowed in 2023. Defense has been a problem for Oklahoma in the past decade as previous head coaches, Bob Stoops and especially Lincoln Riley, had units not capable of complementing lethal offenses for a serious look at a national title. 

Enter Jackson Arnold  

The past two seasons saw QB Dillon Gabriel light it up for the Sooners. Last year, Gabriel was lights out with a 172.0 QBR and a 30/6 TD/INT ratio. Yet Oklahoma encouraged Gabriel to leave to appease Jackson Arnold, a 5-star recruit out of Denton, Texas. Oklahoma feared they would lose Arnold if Gabriel stayed. So they sacrificed a proven, highly productive veteran for an unproven sophomore. The SEC is tough enough for experienced quarterbacks, but can be unforgiving for new starters. Thus, Venables took a huge gamble at the QB position. Arnold had a fine spring, but the SEC is an entirely different matter. 

A Crowded Recruiting Footprint  

Oklahoma has always been tied at the hip with the Texas Longhorns. The Red River Rivalry is one of the best in the sport. But it is also a marriage of convenience for the Sooners. Texas is where they find a large chunk of key recruits. The SEC has found Texas to be an appealing state for prospects, too, especially for speed and skill.

Oklahoma will now compete with Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Missouri, and the rest of the SEC for talent. Additionally, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Kansas are proven winners from the Big 12 who will get their share of players from the Lone Star State. The Missouri Tigers have returned as a top SEC contender and effective recruiter after a lost decade. And even the Big Ten Nebraska Cornhuskers, OU’s old historic rival, are forming a national recruiting footprint that includes Texas. 

The SEC Gauntlet 

Oklahoma’s 2024 schedule is not for the faint of heart. Consider matchups against Tennessee and on the road at Auburn in September. Then comes the Red River Rivalry to kick off October. A road game against high-octane Ole Miss will be difficult to survive, especially without a tightened defense. November brings the merciless brutality of a road game at Missouri, a home game against Alabama, and the regular season finale at LSU.

For success in 2024, Jackson Arnold better flash all five stars and Venables must bring his old magic to a defense that hasn’t been dominant in over a decade.

The Big 12 flag football track meets are over. Oklahoma will need time to adjust and man up to become an SEC contender.

Will Brent Venables be given the time necessary to survive, let alone thrive? Or will Venables be eaten by the beast he was hired to feed?

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