It's time for Oklahoma, Brent Venables to finally admit mistake and do what fans have called for
After Oklahoma's largely embarrassing loss to the Navy Midshipmen, it's finally time for the Sooners and head coach Brent Venables to do what needs to be done. Joe Jon Finley needs to go and not return. No demotions, no title changes. None of that. They can politely frame it as "mutually part ways with" if […]
After Oklahoma's largely embarrassing loss to the Navy Midshipmen, it's finally time for the Sooners and head coach Brent Venables to do what needs to be done.
Joe Jon Finley needs to go and not return. No demotions, no title changes. None of that. They can politely frame it as "mutually part ways with" if they want to, but if the Sooners want things to get better in 2025, Joe Jon Finley can't remain on staff heading into next season.
Just looking at this season alone, the numbers were absolutely disastrous in his brief tenure as co-offensive coordinator.
The Sooners were seventh-percentile in explosive plays this season. They finished 2024 131st in EPA/Play and 121st in offensive success rate. The co-OC duo of Finley and Seth Littrell led Oklahoma's worst offense, maybe ever, this season. Those numbers are the lowest in the country. That is as far from the Oklahoma standard as you can get.
That alone should be grounds for his dismissal. However, Finley has been with the Sooners for years. Those years have largely been fruitless, and his room as the tight ends coach has been the worst unit on the team pretty much every season since he took over.
Bauer Sharp led the 2024 team in receiving, largely by default, and not from quality play. The rest of the room? Not much better.
This has been a consistent theme for the Sooners since Finley's arrival. He inherited Jeremiah Hall and Brayden Willis when he arrived in 2021. Since? He recruited Daniel Parker Jr., who was arguably the worst Oklahoma tight end I think I've seen play, brought Austin Stogner back to Norman for a whopping 17 catches, and added the likes of *checks* Bauer Sharp and Jake Roberts.
The only saving grace in Finley's resume is recruiting four-star Davon Mitchell. That's it.
His positional room is the worst on the team, the talent he brings in hasn't been effective, and when he helmed the offense, the Sooners had one of the worst units in the country and their worst in decades.
What exactly does he do here?
The bowl game is over. They don't need to keep him around to call plays anymore.
It's time. Do the right thing for the future of the team. Find a better tight ends coach moving forward and finally put this 2024 season and the Lincoln Riley era behind the program.
