It is crazy to think just three years ago, Brent Venables was gearing up for his first season as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. It feels like yesterday we were watching him get off a plane at Max Westheimer airport.
His first year showed his inexperience as a head coach. No, he didn’t have a great roster but his game management wasn’t what it needed to be. Year two showed a ton of growth as a head coach. His game management was much better, and his roster was better, too. They developed players well but also found gems in the portal and in high school recruiting.
So, what has Venables noticed about Year 3 so far?
He spoke about it with reporters after practice Tuesday. “I think there is more depth from an experience standpoint of myself, Zac (Alley) and our other defensive coaches than maybe what we had before. So, there is a different level of trust and understanding. Zac thinks more like me and does a good job no matter what it is. Whether it’s the fundamentals, if it’s areas of weakness, if it’s development drills, or if it’s scheme-wise and situationally. We work through a lot before we come out to practice.”
Combine the experience of the coaches with the experience of the defensive players, and you can see why so many are excited about how good the defense can be next season. They still have areas of weakness, like every team, that will need to be addressed. But if they turn their bring their weaknesses along, they could be a special group in 2024.
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