Tag: Big 12 media days

Former Wisconsin DC Dave Aranda on recruiting success at Baylor: ‘We’re paying players’

Former Wisconsin DC Dave Aranda on recruiting success at Baylor: ‘We’re paying players’

Here’s a pretty effective snapshot of the current landscape of college football: Former Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator and current Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda spoke bluntly at the ongoing Big 12 media days about how his program has found recent success on the class of 2025 recruiting trail.

“We’re paying players,” Aranda said.

Related: Ranking every wide receiver corps in the Big Ten Conference entering 2024 season

The question was asked to Aranda after the Bears started July with three class of 2025 commitments, including one from four-star DL Kamauryn Morgan. The class ranks No. 43 in the nation with only 11 total commitments. Though as mentioned, much of that progress was made in the last week.

Aranda says the quiet part loud and clear. The program finished the 2024 cycle with only 14 total commitments and the nation’s No. 67-ranked class. That is a low standing in a talent-rich region like Texas. Now, the program is taking forward strides in the class of 2025 after, as Aranda said, paying more players.

Aranda has been Baylor’s head coach since 2020. He has a 23-25 overall record in those four seasons, buoyed by a terrific 12-2 2021 campaign. Things are trending in the wrong direction over the last few years, however, with a 6-7 2022 campaign and recent 3-9 record in 2023.

The longtime defensive coordinator spent 2013-2015 at Wisconsin under Gary Andersen (2013-14) and Paul Chryst (2015). He has long been one of the better defensive minds in the sport, though has run into a few roadblocks as a head coach.

It’s easy to assume that Aranda speaks for many coaches across the sport when it comes to recruiting inducements. More money leads to better recruiting classes in today’s age of college football.

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Big 12 football media days are heading to Sin City

The Big 12 is heading out west for its annual media days.

The Big 12 announced on Monday that the conference will hold its annual media days session in Las Vegas, Nevada. Big 12 Media Days will take place on Jul. 9 and 10.

Normally this would take place not too far from conference headquarters at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Due to a scheduling conflict, the Big 12 and Commissioner Brett Yormark will head west.

“I’m thrilled to announce Big 12 Football Media Days are heading west for the first time in league history,” said Yormark. “The Big 12 lives at the intersection of sports and entertainment – as the Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas is an ideal location to kick off the 2024 season. We are grateful to the Las Vegas Raiders and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for their partnership and support.”

The conference officially expands to 16 teams as of Jul. 1, with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah coming to the conference from the Pac-12. Oklahoma and Texas will officially join the SEC to put them at 16 teams as well.

It is the dawn of a new era, and it is almost poetic that it begins in a different state.

Oklahoma with two of the most memorable quotes in the offseason per ESPN

Brent Venables and Kyler Murray dropped two of the best quotes this offseason per ESPN.

The offseason is a time for some of the best quotes and trash-talking between teams. This past offseason was no different.

ESPN looked at some of the best from coaches, players, former players, commissioners and so much more. Two Oklahoma quotes made the list. One from [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] during [autotag]Big 12 media days[/autotag] and the other from [autotag]Kyler Murray [/autotag]during the unveiling of his [autotag]Heisman Trophy[/autotag] statue at the [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] spring game.

Let’s start with Venables’ quote. “A year ago, I challenged the guys,” Venables said. “I wasn’t like Deion (Sanders) who gave guys a bunch of pink slips.”

This comment regarded the 21 players who left this year instead of before the 2022 season. Sanders has been in the news because he revamped his team before the Colorado Buffaloes ever played a game.

This really got talked about for no reason, in my opinion. This was more of a tongue-in-cheek response by Venables. It also highlights there are two different ways to approach it. It was easier for Sanders to overhaul the roster before his first season because the Buffaloes were so bad the year before.

Venables was coming to a team that went 11-2. Yes, it lost a ton of players after that season, but he understandably gave the players the benefit of the doubt to let them prove themselves. A 6-7 season proved a lot of people had to go.

Now let’s take a look at Murray’s quote. “I had a rocky start to my college career,” Murray said. “I chose the wrong school.” This is just funny. Murray is obviously referencing spending a season playing for the Texas A&M Aggies.

But what he said is true. It wasn’t the right school for him, clearly. The move he made to Norman ended up being great for his career. The move to play for the Sooners and Lincoln Riley helped him win a Heisman and go No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL draft.

He said this in front of thousands of fans at the spring game, so there’s no question he was playing to the crowd a little bit.

The offseason is always going to provide some memorable quotes as coaches are put in front of the mic on numerous occasions with the media. It’s all fun and games. But now we are six days away from strapping it up and settling it on the field.

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Jonah Laulu taking on leadership role amid move to defensive tackle

Oklahoma’s Jonah Laulu disccused his new role moving to DT from EDGE and guys he’s got his eye on for 2023.

To say Oklahoma lost a lot heading into last season is an understatement. Yes, Lincoln Riley’s departure was tough to swallow. Still, the players that departed for the draft or the transfer portal put a massive dent in the talent pool Oklahoma had to work with heading into last season.

One of the players Oklahoma brought in via the portal was Hawaii transfer Jonah Laulu, a seasoned defender who spent four years at Hawaii. He came to Oklahoma with two years of eligibility, and his first year saw him as a staple in Oklahoma’s EDGE rotation.

He played in every game and made starts against Iowa State, Texas Tech, and Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl. He totaled 20 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, one pass breakup, and two QB hurries.

It wasn’t an earth-shattering performance by any means, but Laulu, like many of his peers who decided to return for 2023, knew they had to improve this year. For one of the worst defenses in recent Oklahoma memory, that just won’t cut it, especially with a defensive wizard at the head coach like Brent Venables.

Laulu fully bought in this offseason to the culture change and commitment to turning OU around defensively and accepted a position change to play along the defensive interior instead of just inside. To do that, Laulu added over 30 pounds in size. As Oklahoma prepares for fall camp, the former Hawaii transfer has gone from 260 pounds to 293 pounds.

At Big 12 Media Days, Laulu discussed how the position change came about, his motivation, and his overall thoughts. Laulu spoke about being in a leadership position and how he got there.

“I think it’s because of how well I took on the position change,” Laulu shared. “Because some people would kind of refuse it at first, and they wouldn’t want to change that position because you don’t want to let go with being on the edge. I mean, I just wanted to do what I needed to do to help this team be the best that they can be. So whatever I have to do, I’ll do it.”

Laulu continued and shared when the decision came that, he would move inside.

“We knew I was going to play DT before the season started last year,”  Laulu said. “So in fall camp, when we were maybe like little bit halfway through camp, my coach, Coach Chavis came up and talking to us, like, ‘We noticed that your movements on the inside,’ or ‘you look so natural,’ and ‘you’re way more comfortable on the interior. And, you know, we probably think about putting you on the interior next season.’ Putting me with Coach Bates. I’ll do whatever it takes. For this team to win. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Laulu’s ability to buy in is the core tenet of what Brent Venables and the rest of his staff have talked about in full regarding the shift in mindset and accountability needed for Oklahoma not just to be better this year but to compete for a Big 12 title.

He represents the type of buy-in Oklahoma needs, especially on defense, where accountability and a willingness to do the hard and gritty work. The stuff that may go unnoticed by the general audience resonates with the coaches and his teammates and permeates the rest of the locker room.

As one of their leaders on the defense, Oklahoma looks well-equipped to be better this year. Jonah also shared some names he thinks are primed for a breakout year or that the Sooner fans need to know about defensively.

“I’d say R Mason Thomas,” Laulu said. “He’s actually living with me right now. I mean, if you’re watching this defense, look out for Mason. He’s a great player. His ability to use his quickness, and his quick twitch and his high motor.”

Laulu also mentioned sophomore Gracen Halton, true freshman Ashton Sanders, and former five-star safety Peyton Bowen. As for some older guys, Laulu mentioned transfers Phil Paea and Da’Jon Terry are slowly acclimating themselves, learning the playbook, and trying to fit in amongst the rest of the guys.

Oklahoma should be well positioned to be better on defense next season simply due to more familiarity in the scheme, another year under strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt, and a massive infusion of talent from the transfer portal and their freshman class. Guys like Laulu will need to lead the charge, having been in the fire of the Big 12 schedule and knowing what it feels like to struggle. Leaning on that experience could help Oklahoma reach the top of the Big 12 mountain in their final year in the league.

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Dillon Gabriel ready for year two with the Oklahoma Sooners

2022 was a year of learning for Dillon Gabriel in his first year in Norman but one he’s excited to build off of.

2022 was a learning year for Dillon Gabriel in his first season in Norman.

There were some highs but definitely, some lows as he got acclimated to a new university and level of competition.

At Big 12 Media Days, he spoke about some of the things he’s excited about going into the 2023 season. One of those is the eagerness of the new additions to learn the offense.

“With the amount of experience I do have, you know, it helps having a bunch of guys who are sponges and try to learn as well,” Gabriel said.

But he also mentions how even though he’s a veteran, he’s learning from them as well.

“Sometimes it helps on my end too, learning from them and taking their opinion or, you know, their perspective,” Gabriel said. “And I think it helps having a great room that we were able to bounce off one another.”

The game Gabriel is most excited about playing this year is one he missed last season, the Red River Rivalry.

“That’s a game I’ve been able to get to and obviously didn’t play in but you know, excited to play in that,” Gabriel said. “Just walking into the atmosphere is something that you dream of. And the type of games you want to play in. So, excited for that one as well, and that’s what college football is all about.”

One thing Gabriel and the team mentioned at media days is being more efficient and successful during critical times of the game.

“I think we learned from this last season, is that the difference between winning and losing is very small,” Gabriel said. “And it can come down to a couple of plays, you know, just the ways, you know, we ended up losing. But I think the situational football piece of it, you know, getting better on that end, to be able to take steps to convert on third down or have confidence in going for it on fourth down and in two minutes. Getting points and then fourth quarters finishing. So, just being super locked into those details, trying to get better every day. With those, which I think we’ve done a great job of, you know, in spring ball, and then a huge emphasis during summer training.”

Now it’s one thing to say all of the right things, it’s another thing to do it. We’ll see if Oklahoma can put their money where their mouth is, fix the mistakes that held them back last season, and come out on top one last time in the Big 12.

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‘I expect great things’: Brent Venables a believer in Danny Stutsman ahead of 2023

Speaking at Big 12 media days, Brent Venables shared his excitement for junior linebacker Danny Stutsman.

The Oklahoma Sooners have to get better on defense in 2023. For them to reach their goals, it starts by improving a defense that finished 122nd in the nation in total defense and 99th in scoring defense.

Part of the issue that Oklahoma’s defense faced in 2022 was a lack of depth. No player played more than linebacker Danny Stutsman.

Oklahoma took steps to improve the defense and add depth ahead of their final season in the Big 12 with key transfer portal additions. But in addition to bringing in [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], and a number of others, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] is banking on the development of his team.

In particular, the Sooners head coach has been pleased with how junior linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] has progressed since his arrival in December of 2021.

“Danny would be the first one to admit that 17 months ago, he wasn’t capable of leading, and he’s in a much different place now,” Venables said at Big 12 media days. “The whole team follows Danny, his emotion, his work, his action. He’s a doer and a giver.”

Stutsman led the Big 12 in tackles and in Pro Football Focus’ stops metric, which considers where the tackle was made in relation to the down and distance. Stutsman had more stops than anyone in the Big 12. it’s easy to forget that it was just Stutsman’s first season as a starter in Oklahoma’s defense after playing a rotational role as a true freshman for Alex Grinch in 2021.

While most rising sophomores get to work on their craft in a defense they are becoming accustomed to, Stutsman had to learn a new scheme with Brent Venables taking over as the head coach. Though 2022 was rough for the defense as a whole, Stutsman, and others, showed flashes throughout the season to provide optimism about what he and the defense can be in 2023.

With several new faces expected to play key roles in Oklahoma’s defense, Stutsman’s leadership and his maturation will play a critical role.

“I love the maturation that’s taking place with him off the field as much as on the field,” Venables said. “His seriousness, his commitment to excellence every day. He’s put the team and the expectations on his back, and I love that.

“A year ago at this time, he couldn’t run a player-run practice. He couldn’t run a player-run walk-through. He wasn’t equipped to do that. I think that’s a reflection of a lot of guys on our team.”

Stutsman’s growth as a player and a leader will be central to Oklahoma’s success in 2023.

“I expect great things from Danny,” Venables said. “He’s long. He’s athletic. He plays fast. He closes to the ball. He’s got tremendous contact speed. He’s got tremendous instincts, got great toughness. He’s worked incredibly hard for the ’23 season. Really excited to see Danny and where he’s at this year.”

And if Danny Stutsman is able to live up to his coach’s expectations in his second year as a starter, it will go a long way to helping the Oklahoma Sooners take a big step defensively in 2023.

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‘A great opportunity for the new guys’: Brent Venables excited about Sooners despite turnover

Despite a big roster turnover in their first year and a half, Brent Venables is feeling good about Oklahoma’s competitive depth.

The last 20 months in Norman have seen a coaching staff overhaul that led to roster turnover that highlights much of what college athletics has become.

The transfer portal, graduation and the NFL draft lead to turnover every year. After a coaching change, that turnover is exaggerated.

“We’ve had tremendous turnover, like a lot of people in this day and age of college football,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said at Big 12 media days. “Like many people, there’s been tremendous roster turnover. We desire a roster of stability and consistency. I think that’s what lends to success and sustainability.”

[autotag]Venables[/autotag] relayed that 78.8% of his roster is in the first or second year with the program.

“We’ve got 123 players on team 129, and out of those 123 players, 97 of them will be in either their first or their second year at the University of Oklahoma,” Venables said. “Tremendous turnover, but I couldn’t be more excited about the group of guys.”

Venables added, “To me I look at it as a great opportunity for the new guys.”

Oklahoma’s banking on a lot of those new guys being significant contributors to the team’s success in 2023. As the transfer additions go, so likely will the Sooners’ Big 12 title aspirations.

Defensive additions [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] and [autotag]Konnor Near[/autotag] are each expected to have big roles for Oklahoma this season.

“And then the addition – again, we’ve got nine guys, six guys up front, two All-American linebackers, a hard-hitting safety in [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag].” Venables said. “I believe we’ll be better up the middle of our defense, and I look at where we were at really at every single position, and we didn’t have the competitive depth a year ago.”

In particular, the lack of defensive depth was staggering.

At linebacker, the Sooners’ trio of [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] each played over 900 snaps. Only two players in Football Bowl Subdivision played more snaps than Stutsman. Adding depth at linebacker with McCullough and Near was critical. Their 2022 and 2023 linebacker signees add to that depth.

The 2022 guys have been in the program for more than a year now. [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag] and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] will have bigger roles this season for the Sooners, which will help their linebacker play be better.

Tackle [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] should start on the offensive side of the ball. Guard [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag], wide receivers [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], and defensive tackles [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag], [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] and [autotag]Phillip Paea[/autotag] are expected to compete for playing time.

The Sooners’ 2023 recruiting class could have guys be early X-factors on the field this season. At cornerback, [autotag]Jasaiah Wagoner[/autotag] and [autotag]Makari Vickers[/autotag] have been turning heads. The drumbeat for Peyton Bowen hasn’t slowed. [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] has turned heads with his speed despite being on campus only a month or two.

“It goes without saying, we went 6-7 last year and fell well below our expectations and our standards at Oklahoma,” shared Venables. “But man, we learned and grew a lot as a football program. In five of the seven losses, it goes down to the last minute, two minutes of the game in the fourth quarter with a chance to win.

“We started the year pretty strong, and then we didn’t finish the year very well, particularly in, again, those fourth quarters of a bunch of games. We just didn’t have any juice left about the middle of the year on. The competitive depth will lead to better competitive stamina.”

The Sooners are hoping the improved competitive depth will lead to a more competitive defense that’s able to help close games for a team with lofty expectations.

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Tim Brando gives erroneous rant about Texas, mocks them as contenders

The only thing more entertaining than a 10-win season would be Tim Brando having to narrate Texas’ success.

Tim Brando has an axe to grind with Texas. Nobody really knows why. Brando continued his strong takes against the Longhorns in a comical and erroneous monologue on the “Crain & Company” podcast.

Included in his wild take, Brando described Texas being favored by Big 12 media as a usual occurrence. In reality, Texas has not been picked to win the conference outright by Big 12 media since 2009. The Longhorns did, in fact, win the Big 12 that season.

The football commentator then said the following of Texas in comparison to last season’s Texas A&M squad.

“I think Texas may well play the role of Texas A&M last year. Because the hype is … through the roof. We’re great; we’re back.”Nobody in Texas media is suggesting Texas is back, but that didn’t stop the Fox broadcaster from howling at the moon. He went on to discuss generalities around meddling boosters without mentioning any specifics on what supposed meddling is still going on at Texas. Brando vaguely discussed a problematic culture that will somehow prevent the Longhorns from improving.

Nobody with any discernment has ever mistaken Brando for someone with a finger on the pulse of the Texas football program. Albeit, he was sure to share the decade-old talking point that isn’t applicable to Longhorns football in present-day.

Predicting the Longhorns to fall like last season’s Texas A&M team is far more bold than any other prediction for Texas this offseason. That suggests this roster could fall to 5-7 in Sarkisian’s third season. Then again, perhaps the purported Texas insider knows something that we don’t know.

JD PicKell says losing Big 12 championship is not a failure for Texas

If Texas goes 9-3 with this roster, the season is not a success.

Losing the Big 12 Championship game will not necessarily be a failure for Texas. JD PicKell, the host of the Hard Count for On3 Sports, delved into that gray area for Texas on his show.

PicKell said the following of how Texas could lose the Big 12 championship and still have a quality season.

“Let’s say you’ve got Texas and you’ve got Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, and we’re fired up. It’s gonna be a great matchup-two top ten teams-lets get after it. You win the Cotton Bowl. You beat Ohio State or you beat whoever it is in the Cotton Bowl. Is that a failure of a season?”

That’s quite a hypothetical, and one that assumes that two Big 12 teams would reach a New Years Six game or the playoff. That might be unlikely, but the scenario would be a positive one. PicKell continued on what it would mean for Texas.

“It would mean that Quinn Ewers reached, or was really close to reaching his potential. It means that culture was probably in a spot to where it is no longer the Texas cultures of, you know, years past. It also means that you won double-digit games. 10, 11 wins? We’ll take that to the bank.”

The double-digit win season PicKell lays out for Texas would be an unmitigated success. The Longhorns have yet to win 10 regular season games since 2009. Albeit, the reality is the team will likely only reach the Cotton Bowl or another premier bowl if it wins the Big 12 championship game.

Texas faces a minefield of a schedule. After facing Alabama, who doesn’t lose much in Tuscaloosa, the team plays its three most likely upset losses Baylor, TCU and Iowa State on the road. Though I have Texas winning 10 games, it’s improbable that the team makes it through the season with less than two conference losses.

We can quibble over semantics, but if Texas goes 9-3 with this roster, it’s not a success. What we can agree on is that the Longhorns’ bar for success is a 10-win season and New Years Six appearance. Anything less than that is below standard.

Texas should face an improved Oklahoma defense this season

Brent Venables detailed some of the breakout defensive players Texas will contend with in 2023.

Oklahoma’s defense will look nothing like it did last season. Head coach Brent Venables has made certain of that this offseason.

The defensive guru let the public know what kind of defense to expect from the Sooners this season. He said the following of the Sooners’ new-look defense to The REF, a radio station covering Oklahoma sports.

“We didn’t have a whole lotta guys to have good rotational depth with. We’ve improved that through recruiting, through development with the current players on our team. And then, again, we’ve had nine transfers on defense (with) six guys up front, two All-American linebackers, a hard-hitting safety in Reggie Pearson. … Through a year of growth and development, we’re in a much different place.

Certainly, the Sooners are in a much better place defensively with transfer additions and two huge depth pieces in freshmen phenom Peyton Bowen and edge rusher PJ Adepawore. It should be enough to stop the bleeding from last year’s Red River matchup and make for a competitive battle.

Oklahoma’s improvement should make for a highly anticipated October battle in the fall.