If one were to ask Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables how he would grade his performance in his first year as a head coach, he probably wouldn’t be very kind to himself. While Venables deserves some slack, the standards are indeed astronomically high in Norman, Oklahoma.
Jesse Simonton of On3 graded each of the first-year head coaches and gave Venables a “D.” I can’t say I disagree with that. A 6-6 record with losses to Texas, Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech in the same season isn’t acceptable, and Venables knows that.
Since he arrived in Norman, Venables has done what he did for so many years at Clemson, recruit at a high level. Yet another top-10 class filled with blue-chip prospects is on the way to Oklahoma. Recruiting is a big part of the battle, and it’s something that Venables and his staff do very well. Were it not for that performance on the recruiting trail, Simonton would’ve given Venables an “F.”
Venables gets the Mario Cristobal treatment here, as a strong showing in the 2023 recruiting cycle is the only thing saving him from a big, fat F after such a disastrous debut.
The Sooners had their worst season in close to a quarter century (1998), losing six games including getting housed 49-0 by Texas in the Red River Rivalry.
Oklahoma opened the year as a Top 10 team and started 3-0. The Sooners then dropped 5-of-7 as their defense — Venables’ specialty — had more holes than a cheese grader. They couldn’t cover or tackle. – Jesse Simonton, On3
While Venables’ arrival wasn’t advertised as a rebuild, Year 1 of the Venables era was just that, a rebuilding year. However, this grade, while harsh, is not unfair. Will Venables be able to improve upon an underwhelming season? OU fans will just have to wait and see what happens in 2023.
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