We’re just a couple of months away from finding out just how the Oklahoma Sooners stack up heading into the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. But they’ve done a fantastic job on the recruiting trail to help prepare the roster for what lies ahead.
Oklahoma is sixth in the nation in blue-chip ratio heading into the season, giving them as good a chance as anyone to be a major player when they take the field this year.
And that’s because Oklahoma has a coach who knows what it takes to contend with the powers of the [autotag]Southeastern Conference[/autotag]. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], while defensive coordinator at Clemson, went toe-to-toe with the SEC on a number of occasions in the College Football Playoff and helped the Tigers win two national titles. His defenses, which deployed disruptive defensive tackles, elite edge rushers and playmakers in the back seven are capable of hanging with the SEC’s offenses and he’s building that right here in Norman.
But in addition to what he’s building on the depth chart, it’s the culture that’s caused many from inside the program and out, to take note of what Venables and his staff have done in their two-plus years in Norman.
Former Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle, [autotag]Orlando Brown, Jr[/autotag], joined Dari Nowkhah of SEC Now on the SEC Network to talk about what he’s seen from the program during Venables’s tenure.
“Yeah, I think he’s fit for it, and I think he’s very fit for the SEC,” Brown said. “That’s one of the reasons I feel like they probably hired him as a head coach at the time, knowing that they will be moving forward with that decision. I’ve seen him create a very special culture, and it’s important that when, especially in college, when you’re building a team continuity, the comfortability of everyone being able to be bought into one thing. One Goal, one mindset one heartbeat, all those things that you hear. … Venables does a great job of bringing in the right people and allowing young men to buy in, man. And that’s so important on that level, man. I think he’s gonna continue to do that.
Hear it from a Super Bowl champ 🏆@ZEUS__57 x @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/0JSleq75Vc
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) July 2, 2024
Orlando Brown worked with [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] and was a huge part of the Sooners success during his time on the roster. But he also played under former head coach [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag], who continues to face suspicion that he left Oklahoma cause he was avoiding the SEC.
Brown’s comment that Venables is “fit for the SEC” contrasts with the narrative surrounding his former head coach.
Venables arrived in Norman with one thing in mind. To get the Sooners ready to compete at the highest level in college football and in the SEC. He’s turned the roster over and built a blue-chip squad that has talent on both sides of the ball. He’s building a defense that will hold up its end of the bargain after struggling to play complementary football under Lincoln Riley and Alex Grinch.
A Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs and one of the more highly-paid players in the league, Brown knows what it takes to win at a high level. He sees what Venables is building and thinks the foundation is there for Oklahoma to be successful despite the strength of the SEC.
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