Brent Venables just accidentally sent a warning to the rest of the SEC by describing one of his newest weapons in the perfect way
2024 was a season to forget for the Oklahoma Sooners, especially on the offensive side. The defense was actually really good — one of the best in the country. The offense was one of the worst, which is why the Sooners barely made a bowl game. In 2025, the expectations are raised. First, they're raised […]
2024 was a season to forget for the Oklahoma Sooners, especially on the offensive side. The defense was actually really good — one of the best in the country. The offense was one of the worst, which is why the Sooners barely made a bowl game.
In 2025, the expectations are raised. First, they're raised because you just can't have two seasons in a row like that at Oklahoma, of all places. So, yes, people are expecting the offense to be better. Secondly, they have brought in a great offensive coordinator with a scheme that works. Ben Arbuckle was great at Washington State, calling the plays.
Third, they grabbed one of the best quarterbacks in the country last season, which checked off a major need for them this offseason. John Mateer, who also played under Arbuckle, is going to be awesome for the Sooners and is even being picked to win the Heisman trophy by some.
But there was a move made late in the offseason that, to me, is not being talked about enough. Sure, their offense was terrible last season, but adding one of the best running backs in the country will only make it even better.
Sooners added 'homerun hitter' in Jaydn Ott
The Sooners did that by getting former Cal RB Jaydn Ott, and man, they are excited to have him, so much so that Brent Venables pretty much let everybody know that they have a dangerous weapon who can go for a touchdown at any moment.
“He’s got great instincts, runs well behind his pads. His yards after contact are eye-popping. He makes plays. He's a home run hitter," Venables told local media on site during a quick scrum before his SEC Media Days press conference.
Ott suffered an injury last season, so on paper, his stats don't look great, but when healthy, the film was still really good. The injury and the fact that the Golden Bears finished with the 20th-worst PFF run-blocking grade in college football.
In 2023, though, he led the Pac-12 in rushing yards with over 1,300 and had 14 touchdowns from scrimmage, with two of those being receiving touchdowns. Ott had five games where he ran for more than 150 rushing yards, with a few of those closing in on nearly 200 rushing yards.
Per PFF, Ott had 32 runs of at least 10 yards in 2023, with his longest run being a 66-yarder. In 2022, he had a longest run of 73 yards, and even last season, he had a longest run of 53 yards despite a bad ankle injury. So, yes, the home run hitter title fits. The Sooners think they are getting that version, or maybe even better than that, when it comes to Ott in 2025.
And, their running back room before Ott actually wasn't that bad. There's Jovantae Barnes, who bulked up and could be due for a big season as RB2, and of course, Taylor Tatum and Xavier Robinson, who both were true freshmen last year and showed some massive moments. In the second half of the season, Robinson was on a roll with a few games where he looked unstoppable at times.
Now add Ott, who seems to be a guy who can find the end zone from anywhere on the field, and you have an offense that will be so much improved. The SEC better be ready for the Sooners' offense in 2025.
Brent Venables & Jim Nagy forming a dynamic duo that has already paid dividends for the Oklahoma Sooners’ roster building
To kick off the offseason, the Oklahoma Sooners made waves when they announced former Senior Bowl director and longtime NFL executive Jim Nagy as the general manager of their football team moving forward. The move was viewed as a coup by Oklahoma, and it's paid off with a tremendous spring transfer portal performance, most notably […]
