When Brent Venables arrived in Norman in December of 2021, I can’t say that I was expecting the Oklahoma Sooners to finish with a losing record for the first time in my life. And yet, here we are.
Finishing the season with a loss in the Cheez-it Bowl against Florida State is hardly ideal. Especially in what has become a reliable recruiting ground for Venables’ staff. Their effort against a very good Seminoles team was quite admirable. They performed like a team that was more than the sum of its parts.
With a top-five recruiting class on the way, this was hardly a wasted season. The young players on the roster now know what failure in Norman feels like. Doesn’t feel very good, does it?
As the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
With more and more “Venables’ guys” coming via high school and the portal, this program will be more of a Venables program. It’s far too soon to call the hire a failure. However, if the same issues that persisted throughout 2022 are present in 2023, then we can have that conversation.
Expecting a lot of improvement next season is not unreasonable. The Sooners need to show that they can start physically dominating the teams in the Big 12 before they make the move to the SEC, which is apparently trending towards happening in 2024.
When the Sooners are an SEC team, being middle of the road isn’t the expectation. They want to win SEC Championships. They want to win national championships.
Don’t let the seventh loss in a 6-7 season spoil what this staff is attempting to build. Top ten recruiting classes two years in a row, and no sign that it’s going to slow down. There’s plenty to be excited about for 2023 and beyond.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.