Oklahoma HC Venables puts Texas, Big 12 teams on notice

Brent Venables has a message for those sleeping on the Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables has heard the criticism of the Sooners’ wide receiver room. Let’s say he doesn’t appreciate it.

Venables put the Big 12 on notice sharing that this receiver room is not only solid but good. He pointed out he has a dangerous receiver nobody is talking about this offseason. According to the second-year head coach, Oklahoma walk-on Gavin Freeman is the team’s best receiver. Apparently it’s not even close.

The head coach said the following about the unheralded receiver at the beginning of fall camp.

“Best receiver coming out of the spring was Gavin Freeman, by a long shot.”

Yes, that’s a real quote. Had it not been shared by Sooner Scoop’s George Stoia or confirmed by our colleagues at Sooners Wire, it wouldn’t have been believable. Although he made plays last season, Freeman is not the first receiver that comes to mind at Oklahoma.

The veteran coach went on to discuss his frustration with outsiders doubting his roster, particularly at receiver. We believe the doubt is warranted but perhaps the Sooners have found a diamond in the rough.

It appears Venables believes he has found his version of former Clemson slot receiver Hunter Renfroe. The Oklahoma coaching staff deserves credit if he is correct.

10 thoughts on the Texas quarterback room for 2023

This quarterback room is special.

The Texas quarterback room is the best in the Big 12 conference. That much is clear after an impressive spring from Longhorns quarterbacks Maalik Murphy and Quinn Ewers. Both players acquitted themselves well against any doubt in their ability to make plays.

I am usually of the opinion that when your starting quarterback goes down at the college level you probably shouldn’t expect to win games. Presently, Texas is in the position where it can expect to win if Maalik Murphy needs to come into a game to relieve Quinn Ewers.

It’s uncertain if Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will be afforded that luxury with several opposing teams in search of quarterback help. For now, the Longhorns are injury proof at quarterback in their two-deep.

Here’s a look at 10 judgments on the quarterback room as we exit spring ball.

Is Texas QB Maalik Murphy being courted by other teams?

One analyst implies schools are probably already tampering to court Maalik Murphy.

Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy set the field ablaze with a strong spring game performance on Saturday. One college football analyst thinks he could already be seeing attention from other schools despite not being in the transfer portal.

Late Kick podcast host Josh Pate said the following after Murphy’s impressive showing.

(Murphy) opened some people’s eyes yesterday… I don’t just think in Austin, Texas. I think if you probably check his most recent followers on (social media), you’ll find staffers from all different sorts of schools following him. Now, I am not suggesting that anyone would ever preemptively tamper with anybody’s roster out there for a position like quarterback… except that I am.

Texas fans should be well aware of the tampering that goes on in college football. Last offseason saw the team fend off schools who tried to poach wide receiver Xavier Worthy and nickelback Jahdae Barron.

There are a handful of programs who have shown a penchant for doing whatever it takes to field a winning college football program. For that reason, it’s likely Murphy has already seen some interest from other schools. As to whether or not those efforts will go anywhere is still to be seen.

For now, it appears evident that Murphy is locked in with the school and coach that believed in him. Presently, he looks to be next in line to start following Quinn Ewers at Texas.

Longhorns Wire dissects the Oklahoma Sooners depth chart

The Oklahoma Sooners look like a beatable opponent for Texas again in 2023.

In case you missed it, the Texas Longhorns defeated the Oklahoma Sooners last season, 49-0. It was the Sooners’ most lopsided loss in its rivalry against the Longhorns and the first shutout they had suffered in the game since 1965.

Some scoffed at the notion that the Sooners would fall off following the departure of former head coach Lincoln Riley to USC. The game put into perspective just how far the program had fallen. This offseason, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables transformed the roster through the transfer portal and in recruiting.

Our Sooners Wire colleague John Williams shared a predicted spring two-deep depth chart for the team to give insight into what Oklahoma could look like this season. Although the team improved in more than one area, Texas has a good opportunity to start a winning streak over Oklahoma in the series.

Let’s analyze what the Sooners bring back this season.

Texas is separating from Oklahoma in WR development

Marvin Mims’ comments validate concerns over receiver development at Oklahoma.

Oklahoma simply isn’t developing wide receivers like they used to. That much is evident after Marvin Mims’ comments at the NFL combine.

Mims said the following on how he was utilized in Norman:

Oklahoma didn’t ask me to run a technical route tree, but I have a trainer and run more routes. I just wasn’t asked to do it for Oklahoma.

Under Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma joined Ohio State, Clemson, LSU and Alabama as a premier landing spot at wide receiver.

The departure of Riley paired with the Longhorns’ addition of Steve Sarkisian has allowed Texas to take Oklahoma’s seat at the table of elite receiver recruiting. And, for that matter, offensive line recruiting as well.

The Sooners have become an afterthought for big name receiver recruits with uncertainty at receiver. While Brent Venables won out for Langham Creek star Jaquaize Pettaway, his staff put up a far inferior class to Texas’ elite trio of Johntay Cook, Ryan Niblett and DeAndre Moore.

For whatever reason, fewer elite pass catchers see Oklahoma as a viable option for receiver development. Given Mims’ comments at the NFL combine, perhaps their concerns are valid.

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Texas Football: Predicting the two-deep ahead of spring practice

We look at what the Texas depth chart looks like ahead of spring ball.

Spring practice begins on Monday, March 6. The sessions soften the blow of a long offseason without football. Continue reading “Texas Football: Predicting the two-deep ahead of spring practice”

Texas WR Xavier Worthy makes On3 Sports’ list of Top 10 receivers

On3 Sports expects big things from Xavier Worthy.

Xavier Worthy could be in store for a bounce back season for the Texas Longhorns. On3 Sports listed Worthy as one of their top receivers for the 2023 season.

Worthy’s inclusion is no surprise, though he’ll have plenty to prove over the next year. Some made too much out of his noncommittal comments about his return before the Alamo Bowl. Nevertheless, Worthy is still one of the key members of the team. He will need to overcome his drop issues and adjust on downfield passes this season.

It comes as no surprise that Marvin Harrison Jr makes the list. Yesterday I opined that Harrison would be the best returning receiver in college football. It looks like others view the receiver in high regard.

Here’s a look at On3 Sports’ Top 10 receivers for the 2023 season.

Where Texas lands in college football’s top games for 2023

We rank the biggest college football games for 2023.

We are nearly as far away from football season as possible, but early projections are trickling in for the 2023 season. On Tuesday, FanDuel dropped early betting lines for some of college football’s biggest games.

As you can imagine, Texas was included among some of the more high profile games. Blue blood battles are worthy of plenty of hype, and the Longhorns face two away from Austin. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and company face Alabama in Tuscaloosa before the annual Red River battle with Oklahoma.

Earlier FanDuel favored Alabama by 8 points against Texas. The site gave the Longhorns a 4-point advantage over the Sooners. Later the Oklahoma line climbed in Texas’ favor to 5 points.

Let’s look at our early expectation for each of the featured games and rank them.

Oklahoma EDGE addition Dasan McCullough a top 10 transfer per College Sports Wire

Oklahoma Sooners Edge Dasan McCullough is one of College Sports Wire’s top impact transfers for the 2023 season

The Oklahoma Sooners are going to need more consistent pressure off the edge in 2023 to help improve their defense. Brent Venables addressed that immediate need by getting former Indiana Hoosier Dasan McCullough out of the transfer portal.

McCullough figures to be a contributor right away. While Reggie Grimes and Ethan Downs could still improve, OU needed to bring in a new face as their pass rush did run cold when Big 12 play began.

Our friends at College Sports Wire have McCullough as one of the top impact tansfers for the 2023 season.

The first year under new head coach Brent Venables went about as bad as it could have. Sure they finished 6-6 and made it to a bowl game but they were outgunned by Florida State to finish with their first losing record since 1998. The next year Bob Stoops rolled into town. Oklahoma needs help and they picked up a big edge transfer in Dasan McCullough. He finished his freshman season with 49 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 4 sacks, and 3 passes defended. Perhaps McCullough can be the next Nik Bonitto for this defense.- Patrick Conn, College Sports Wire

Dasan McCullough has the size and pass-rush ability to be a full-time defensive end for Oklahoma. Or he could end up taking on the Cheetah role in Brent Venables’ defense due to his athleticism and length. If McCullough can be anything like Bonitto, this would be a massive win for Oklahoma. Bonitto led the Big 12 in pressure rate during his final season in Norman and is now making an impact in the NFL for the Denver Broncos.

His ability to play in space will provide the Sooners with greater athleticism and speed wherever he ends up playing and that’s a huge plus for the Sooners.

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Brent Venables doesn’t make the grade in CBS Sports’ first-year coach evaluations

CBS Sports graded each first-year head coach, how did Brent Venables fair after year one in Norman?

When Brent Venables was hired to be the head coach at the University of Oklahoma, Sooners fans didn’t expect there to be an “F” or a “D” next to his name on the end-of-season report cards. We’ve looked at Venables’ report cards in recent weeks, but the one we’re looking at today is perhaps the harshest one yet.

Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports graded all of the first-year college football coaches earlier this week. He was not very kind to Venables after the incredibly disappointing 2022 season. The Sooners’ head coach was handed an “F” by Jeyarajah.

Venables faced a difficult situation taking over for Riley, but the lows were still shocking. The Sooners posted a losing record and finished with a losing conference mark for the first time since 1998, the year before the Bob Stoops era began. Oklahoma lost 49-0 against rival Texas, while Venables’ signature defense ranked 123rd. The bar is high at Oklahoma, and 2022 wasn’t even in the same stratosphere. – Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

The only thing that saved Venables from an “F” in the last report card we looked at was his performance on the recruiting trail. In this case, it would seem that only on-field results are being considered.

Nothing Jeyarajah says here is untrue or unfair. This season was bad. Incredibly so. The 49-0 loss to Texas would be enough for a failing grade by itself. The defense, instead of a strength, was a liability for the vast majority of the season. The offense was inconsistent and completely lost its way when Dillon Gabriel got hurt.

The dysfunction around the program was a huge hurdle for any coach, let alone a rookie head coach in one of the most demanding jobs in the country. Thanks to Brent Venables, the Oklahoma Sooners have laid a foundation for the culture and the work ethic they want in Norman. And that culture is attracting incredibly talented players on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal.

Whether or not Venables can turn around the Sooners’ record next season, remains to be seen. We here at Sooners Wire are optimistic Oklahoma can have a resurgent season in 2023 with all of the immediate impact players they’ve added. Ideally, there will be a much more favorable letter next to Brent Venables’ name on the report cards next January.

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