Sooners HC Brent Venables sends clear message after Oklahoma’s first SEC season

The Oklahoma Sooners’ first experience in the Southeastern Conference didn’t go as expected — not only in terms of on-field performance, but also in results, as they finished with a disappointing 6–7 record. That’s why Brent Venables and his team are determined to bounce back and establish themselves as serious title contenders.

Now with a bit more experience under his belt, the veteran head coach may have more tools at his disposal to face what lies ahead. However, one thing is certain — the level of difficulty in the SEC won’t be any lower than it was last year.

As the Sooners continue preparing for a new season, Venables spoke to the media and reflected on the lessons learned from last year’s campaign — a challenging but valuable first step in this new chapter for the program.

“In many ways, it was exactly like I thought,” the HC said at SEC Media Days. “Again, it’s a one-possession league. It’s a league that’s determined at the line of scrimmage. There’s elite players on every single team that you’re going to play at every single position. If you show up on a Saturday and you’re not ready to play, you’re going to get it handed to you.

“I know this, that if you give the ball back more than you take it away, you’re going to have a hard time winning. Just elite coaching and elite players across the board.”

New faces for the Sooners

Aiming to become a more well-rounded team across all units, the Sooners secured the addition of talented running back Jaydn Ott from Cal. Ott is already being viewed as a strong candidate to emerge as one of the SEC’s top backs this upcoming NCAAF season.

“He’s got great humility, tremendous work ethic. He’s a people person. He’s a little quiet, but he’s connected well and mature beyond his years,” Venables said during SEC Media Days. “In my opinion, he’s got he’s got the ability to carry a lot on his shoulders on and off the field. He’s got a wonderful family, really supportive. He chose to come to Oklahoma and wanted to be pushed.

“He wanted to be challenged, and he wanted to be in an environment where there’s a lot of people moving in the same direction. Where guys are ambitious and driven and that’s his testimony.”