ESPN analyst picks Oklahoma Sooners as a bounce-back candidate for 2025 season thanks to one key metric
The Oklahoma Sooners won't kick off their 2025 season for months, but the offseason content is in full swing for the upcoming college football season. One of the best pieces of content every season is ESPN's returning production metrics, organized and written by Bill Connelly. While this isn't perfect for measuring success in the upcoming […]
The Oklahoma Sooners won't kick off their 2025 season for months, but the offseason content is in full swing for the upcoming college football season.
One of the best pieces of content every season is ESPN's returning production metrics, organized and written by Bill Connelly.
While this isn't perfect for measuring success in the upcoming season, it's important to keep in mind when projecting a team's success. More often than not, teams that return more production tend to do better in the upcoming season.
This stat is a key factor in why ESPN's Bill Connelly named the Sooners as a candidate to improve in 2025.
"OU's first season in the SEC was a trial. Per SP+, the Sooners fielded their best defense since 2013, but their worst offense since 1998 doomed the campaign, and they went 6-7 for the second time in Brent Venables' three seasons in charge. Their 2025 defense could be outstanding, returning 11 of 19 guys with 200-plus snaps and adding among the brightest talents from disappointing Florida State (DE Marvin Jones Jr.) and Oklahoma State (LB Kendal Daniels) defenses. The offense, meanwhile, made two huge imports from Washington State: coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer. If Mateer and seven new receiving corps transfers can click — something that will be far more likely if a vastly more experienced offensive line gets better — the Sooners could make solid overall improvement. They'll still face a brutal schedule, though."
I've written in the past about why I think the Sooners will be better next season despite such a dismal and depressing 2024 season. If Arbuckle and Mateer can hit the ground running and ignite the Sooners' sputtering offense, Oklahoma's returning defensive production and elite coaching staff should give the Sooners a talented and balanced team, capable on both sides of the ball.
There's a strong possibility that if that happens and if players stay healthy, the 2025 Oklahoma Sooners could be the strongest squad that head coach Brent Venables has had at his disposal.
