Oklahoma Sooners' performance at 2025 NFL Scouting Combine is a testament to development ability of Brent Venables, Oklahoma's coaching staff
The Oklahoma Sooners under Brent Venables have been a bit of a mixed bag in terms of results so far for the fanbase. Just a year after going 10-3, the Sooners faceplanted their first season in the SEC with a 6-7 record and a disastrous offense. However, the process of things has felt light years […]
The Oklahoma Sooners under Brent Venables have been a bit of a mixed bag in terms of results so far for the fanbase. Just a year after going 10-3, the Sooners faceplanted their first season in the SEC with a 6-7 record and a disastrous offense.
However, the process of things has felt light years better than it did throughout the entirety of the Lincoln Riley era. One area that is currently light years better is the staff's ability to develop NFL-caliber players, as evidenced by the Sooners' performances at the NFL Combine this year.
While Oklahoma did only send three athletes to Indianapolis this year, keep in mind that they invested a ton of resources into keeping their young talent for next year. If they hadn't, Oklahoma likely has at least double that at the Combine.
What's important to focus on here is how much better these results look than any other Oklahoma player over the last few seasons. All three of Ethan Downs, Danny Stutsman, and Billy Bowman Jr. tested very well, a credit to their athletic development with the Sooners.
Of course, Oklahoma has had players who tested well before Brent Venables arrived in Norman. However, look at the recent results of players like Tyler Guyton, Jonah Laulu, and Marvin Mims Jr., who all spent multiple years under Venables and new S&C coach Jerry Schmidt. All three tested well above expectations, pulling in a 9.73 RAS, 9.62 RAS, and a 9.41 RAS respectively.
Oklahoma is churning out better athletes than they were for years prior, developing prized recruits like Stutsman, Bowman, Guyton, and Mims, as well as others like Downs, Laulu, and others who were less-hyped recruits, into elite NFL-caliber athletes.
That doesn't happen by chance. It's a testament to their ability to identify and develop these players, as well as players buying into their development at a higher rate than Oklahoma had for years.
It's refreshing to see the Sooners perform so well at the Combine and in their testing compared to previous seasons of disappointing results. Hopefully, this trend continues, as Oklahoma has several up-and-coming NFL prospects for next season that could help re-establish the Sooners as a premier NFL pipeline.
