Oklahoma Sooners and Brent Venables have three key factors to address if they want to compete in the SEC in 2025
Things went awry for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2024, as almost everything that could have gone wrong did for the team last season. Fortunately, after a significant roster and team overhaul, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic heading into 2025. The Sooners returned most of their talent and added plenty more at several […]
Things went awry for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2024, as almost everything that could have gone wrong did for the team last season.
Fortunately, after a significant roster and team overhaul, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic heading into 2025. The Sooners returned most of their talent and added plenty more at several key spots.
However, some key factors need solutions ahead of the 2025 season if Oklahoma wants to get back to its winning ways.
John Mateer Proves He Is THE Guy
The Sooners went out and plucked talented transfer quarterback John Mateer from Washington State to come in and replace Jackson Arnold as the starting quarterback.
Arnold (and Michael Hawkins) hurt the team more than I think many believe with his deficiencies as a passer and stalled what was already a hampered offense. Multiple losses could be directly attributed to quarterback play last season, something that hasn't been the case for the Sooners in a very, very long time.
Mateer had a superb 2024 season, but it's a significant jump going from playing in the Pac-2 to the SEC. However, there's a lot to like about his game.
Mateer is an outstanding athlete. I dare say as a runner he can do many similar things to what Kyler Murray did for the Sooners. Though he isn't quite as fast, his burst to win the edge when scrambling or on designed runs is eyebrow-raising for a quarterback, and he's a tough, gritty runner.
As a passer, Mateer brings a higher floor than you'd think for a one-year starter. His mechanics have to improve, as he relies too much on his arm instead of his lower body, which takes some velocity off his arm and can impact his accuracy on the move. However, he's a good pocket manager (something Arnold and Hawkins struggled with) with a pretty good arm and accuracy overall.
If the results he had last season can translate to the Sooners in 2025, they are already in a better place than 2024 without anything else changing.
Ben Arbuckle's Scheme Delivers
As bad as their quarterback play was last season, the Sooners' offensive scheme was just as rough. The gameplans were incoherent, players were frequently busting assignments, and the players were frequently put in wrong spots. Oklahoma fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell midseason as a result. Ben Arbuckle came in as the replacement.
Arbuckle has coordinated some of the best offenses in college football over the last couple of years at Washington State. While some Air Raid principles do exist, it doesn't resemble a Mike Leach or Dana Holgorsen level of Air Raid in the slightest. By and large, it's a pretty similar offense to the one Lincoln Riley deployed for years leading the Sooners.
That's a welcome sign for Oklahoma, who have been limited by scheme ever since Riley's sudden departure years ago.
Arbuckle hasn't coordinated at any level quite like the SEC however, and the "Air Raid" has flopped more often than not against the SEC. Yet, getting good players into space is a universal concept, and Arbuckle's scheme excels at that. If he and Mateer take that next step together this season, the Sooners' offense could be red hot.
The Offensive Line Settles Down
Can you tell that the offense was the main problem last season? The Sooners have to get this settled if the offense wants any shot at succeeding next season.
Fortunately, a lot has already gone right for Oklahoma's offensive line this offseason. They returned all of their talent from last season, including some intriguing breakout players in Logan Howland and Heath Ozeata, while also adding some talented transfers in Derek Simmons, Jake Maikkula, and Luke Baklenko. On top of that, two elite recruits in freshmen Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje are already pushing for playing time.
With a great mixture of returning talent and incoming reinforcements arriving for established offensive line guru Bill Bedenbaugh to work with this season, there are a lot more reasons to be optimistic about this group compared to this time last year. However, they still have to go out and deliver against the SEC.
