Oklahoma Sooners head football coach Brent Venables answered many questions in 2023.
After being hired to be the next head coach of the historic OU football program on Dec. 5, 2021, he had plenty of work to do to build the program in his image after his predecessor’s sudden and unexpected departure.
At the time, Oklahoma fans didn’t know just how much of a rebuild it would be. Venables clearly believed the Sooners had slipped from the standard of toughness, physicality and discipline that made them one of college football’s premier programs.
Venables’ inaugural season was a disappointment. OU went 6-7, its worst record of the 21st century. At this time last year, there were plenty of questions nationally about Venables and his direction for the program in Norman.
A 10-3 season last year answered many of the critics. The Sooners bounced back, improving in just about every area. A Red River Rivalry win over Texas was the season’s highlight, but unfocused and mistake-filled football plagued OU in losses against Kansas and Oklahoma State.
Those games not only kept Oklahoma out of the College Football Playoff after a 7-0 start, they also kept the Sooners out of the Big 12 championship game. Oklahoma settled for an Alamo Bowl berth, which was an uneven, turnover-plagued loss against Arizona with a different starting quarterback and offensive coordinators.
The message from Venables to his team was clear: The Sooners still had plenty of room for improvement.
Now, the Sooners enter the toughest conference in college football, the SEC.
Oklahoma must continue along its trajectory and take another step forward in 2024. However, a brutal schedule in a very strong conference will make that difficult to do. But Venables was hired with the SEC move in mind, and he has been preparing for this for 2 1/2 years. His focus is competing for championships in 2024 and beyond.
OU looks ready to improve again this season with a veteran defense leading the way. A younger, but…
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