After a coaching search that almost had the entire state of Oklahoma in a complete state of panic, the Sooners finally found their man with a very familiar name. Brent Venables leaped from being a longtime assistant with stops at Oklahoma and Clemson to becoming the new headman in charge of the Oklahoma Sooners.
He takes over an Oklahoma program that was in disarray and reeling from the complete and utter shock of Lincoln Riley’s surprise departure following their final regular season against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Venables and the staff he’s assembled have plugged the leak in the 2022 recruiting class as they steadied the ship following Riley’s departure and the recruiting ramifications of that, they have used the transfer portal to their advantage to feel some holes left by the 11 starters that either transferred or declared for the NFL Draft and they have since started working on their 2023 class all while the current team begins offseason workouts under another familiar face in Head strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt.
Their five priorities were:
- Scheme Development + QB
- Develop the Receivers
- Address the Offensive Line
- Reload the Defensive Front
- Secondary Concerns
All five points are very valid and hold significant weight as the Sooners begin to acclimate themselves. We’re going to grow through and take a look at each.