If they said the SEC would sharpen Oklahoma like iron, they lied. The SEC didn’t elevate Brent Venables’ Sooners—it straight body-slammed them through a flaming table. That 6–7 record in 2024? A full-blown face-plant into the college football abyss. Meanwhile, Texas strutted in like they owned the place. OU? Looked like they forgot their playbook at the Big 12 exit. But just when folks were ready to write the obit on Venables’ head coaching career, national insider Tom Luginbill threw a wrench in the slander. And at the center of this unexpected optimism? A quarterback named John Mateer, and a burner named Jaydn Ott.
Tom Luginbill appeared on The Next Round podcast on May 19 and didn’t hesitate when asked who the ‘most improved team in the SEC’ was: “If I were to give you another [team] because I think they’re going to be vastly improved offensively, it’s Oklahoma. Now I’m not saying they’re going to be able to navigate the schedule, but… quarterback is going to be a big upgrade. The running back in Jaydn Ott, if he stays healthy, is a significant upgrade.” Translation? Brent Venables finally brought real weapons to a knife fight.
The most improved team in the SEC in 2025 will be ______.@TomLuginbill says Auburn and Oklahoma. pic.twitter.com/VBlhQkSec9
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) May 19, 2025
Let’s keep it a buck. Sooners’s secondary in 2024? Impressive. Gave up just 21 points a game. That should’ve been enough to win. But the offense? Boy, it was so bad you could hear Sooners fans apologizing to their TVs. They averaged just 303.2 yards per game—126th nationally. The passing attack ranked 121st. And they averaged 5.8 yards per attempt, which is basically asking your QB to throw screen passes on third-and-long. Jackson Arnold looked like he had the playbook duct-taped to his forearm, completing 62.6% of his throws for 1,421 yards and just 12 touchdowns in 10 games.
It wasn’t just him, though. The O-line got worked like part-time security at a mosh pit. OU allowed sacks on 12.56% of dropbacks—probably dead last in the country. They couldn’t run it either. Didn’t even sniff the top 100 in rushing. And 3rddown? Red zone? Forget it. They had the ball for 60 minutes but played like they had 6.
Brent Venables had to make some changes in that offense.
Brent Venables raided Wazzu, pulled John Mateer—the QB who led the country in total touchdowns (44 tuddies) last season—and brought his OC Ben Arbuckle with him. These two aren’t strangers. They’re a duo. Arbuckle schemes it. Mateer delivers it. And it shows. Mateer was surgical last year, carving defenses with precision and pace. Now? He’s got an actual SEC roster behind him.
Then came Jaydn Ott. Man led the Pac-12 in rushing in 2023. Only reason he ain’t repeat in 2024? Injuries. But when healthy, he’s a walking 100-yard game. Pair him with Jovantae Barnes (577 yards last year) and Oklahoma finally got a ground game you gotta respect. That alone changes the whole vibe of the offense. Even better? OU’s offensive line got the message. They bring back four outta five starters. That’s chemistry. That’s continuity. And that’s also bad news for SEC D-lines. Troy Everett’s back, coached up by the legendary Bill Bedenbaugh. Big Derrick Simmons, 5-star Michael Fasusi and Heath Ozaeta anchor the trenches.
As for weapons? It’s a buffet. JaVonnie Gibson—an FCS All-American. Jayden Gibson—length and leaping ability. Deion Burks brings straight speed. Toss in Will Huggins at tight end and Mateer’s got options everywhere. It isn’t just a functional offense. It’s one with teeth. But there’s still one thing even talent can’t fully fix: the schedule. Lord have mercy, their schedule straight out of The Sinners movie. Oklahoma’s 2025 strength of schedule is a demonic 0.771. They start with Illinois State, sure. But then it’s Michigan. Bama. LSU. Tennessee. And the annual Texas showdown. No breathers. No freebies. Venables better have gameplans laminated in holy water.
David Pollack’s all in on Big John Mateer and Brent Venables offense in 2025
Brent Venables didn’t just tweak a few things. He blew up the blueprint. While he keeps control of the defense—which was the only thing keeping OU from a full-blown collapse—he handed the offense to Ben Arbuckle and gave him the keys to a Mustang.
“I think Oklahoma is going to be so improved,” David Pollack said on See Ball Get Ball. “Across the board. Bringing in the right guys, I think, with where they needed it the most. The system changed. Obviously, the offensive coordinator changed. The defense is still being controlled by Venables. I think they’re light-years better.”
Pollack isn’t wrong. It’s not about OU suddenly going 12–0. No one’s saying that. But being competitive? Scoring points? Making the SEC actually sweat a little? That’s on the table. The offense isn’t just repaired—it’s re-engineered. And with a defense that already showed signs of life, that’s all OU needs to start barking back. Still, Pollack kept it real: “They’re not going to win 10 games, but they’re going to have a team that’s good enough to be in that conversation.” And if that sounds like faint praise, you didn’t watch OU last year. That offense couldn’t score on air. Now? They might drop 35 on you before halftime on injury free good day.
The real x-factor though? Job security. Rece Davis chimed in on College GameDay Podcast, and he wasn’t sugarcoating it. “It’s highly likely that Brent Venables job security depends on it,” he said. “They need to be better… The Alabama win, late for them, sort of salvaged a bit of the narrative around them… because they were really good on defense, they were just abysmal on offense.”
Rece Davis kept it buck. That 24-3 Bama win at Norman was the duct tape holding Venables’ head coaching resume together. And now, it’s go time. The SEC don’t hand out grace periods. You either swim or drown. Sooners got top pound for pound defense, no doubt. But if this offense clicks? If Mateer and Ott stay healthy? If Arbuckle gets these boys humming?
We might get vintage Sooners. And Brent Venables? He might just be off the hot seat by Halloween.
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