Are the Sooners SEC ready? Brent Venables thinks so

DALLAS, Texas — Nearly three years since voting to join the Southeastern Conference, the Sooners took another giant forward in their new reality Tuesday.

OU coach Brent Venables and players Jackson Arnold, Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman took centerstage at SEC Media Days in Dallas, marking the Sooners' first appearance at the annual media event. The Sooners, along with fellow conference newbie Texas, have been the talk of the four-day event as some wonder how they fit into the conference that is often touted as the toughest conference in football.

The discussion has often boiled down to a simple question: are the Sooners "SEC ready?"

Venables laid out a simple answer during his press conference.

"Oklahoma isn't intimidated as a football program," Venables said. "We're running towards the SEC. I think that goes without saying. We've looked forward for the last several years for this partnership, to be a part of an amazing conference, the best conference in college football."

It'll be the question that defines the next few months of OU football. Vegas oddsmakers don't give the Sooners a realistic chance of competing for an SEC championship in the fall, and they're likely to be outside the top five when the conference preseason poll is released on Friday.

But Venables gave several reasons to be confident.

Compared to 2023, there's a lot more continuity heading into Venables' third season at the helm. Defensively, the Sooners took massive steps forwards in 2023, finishing 49th in scoring defense (23.5 points per game) and 80th in total defense (389.4 yards per game) in 2023 — huge jumps from when they ranked 99th and 123rd, respectively, in those categories a year ago. Plus, of course, the Sooners finished with a 10-3 record after going 6-7 in 2022.

They return most of their key players from a season ago. They have at least one veteran who's been a two-year starter under Venables at OU, headlined by defensive end Ethan Downs, linebacker Danny Stutsman, cornerback Woodi Washington and safety Billy Bowman.

The return of Stutsman, who's entering his senior year and third season as a starter, is particularly critical. And the chance to compete in the SEC is a big reason why he came back to lead the Sooners.

"We’ve trained so much," Stutsman said. "There’s been a lot of talk. To have the opportunity to go out there and just prove who we are in a new conference, it’s a great opportunity. We’re honored. We’re blessed to be a part of it. It’s a lot of the reason I came back. I wanted to help be there and lead us into that new journey.”

Still, the Sooners will face significant challenges defensively. They'll play five teams that ranked inside the top 30 nationally last season in scoring, total offense or both. But the SEC has been primarily known for their stout defenses.

That's where the Sooners' offense comes in.

The wide receiver group is rightfully seen as one of the deepest units in the conference, with the return of Jalil Farooq, Andrel Anthony, Nic Anderson and Jayden Gibson and the addition of Deion Burks. Running back Gavin Sawchuk was one of the most productive running backs in football last season.

But there are questions about the offensive line, particularly after the departures of five key players who logged starts or significant playing time. The Sooners added Branson Hickman, Michael Tarquin, Febechi Nwaiwu and Geirean Hatchett via the transfer portal to give the Sooners much-needed experience, but it will still largely be a new group protecting true sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold, who's preparing for his own challenge of leading the offense with only one career start.

Add in that the Sooners will play four teams that ranked in the top 25 last season in scoring defense, and it won't be an easy road. But Arnold is ready for the challenge.

"I'm extremely confident in this team," Arnold said. "I think I can speak for everybody on the team that we're all super amped up to go out and play this SEC schedule. It's a tough one for sure, but we love the challenge. We want the challenge. We wouldn't want it any other way."

There will be a lot of challenges and a lot of unknowns for the Sooners in 2024. But this team also has a lot more going for it compared to the last two teams under Venables, who has faced an uphill battle for stability since he arrived.

Outside of new coordinators Zac Alley and Seth Littrell, the Sooners have every assistant returning for their third year under Venables. The Sooners also are integrating a highly-touted 2024 class that ranked seventh nationally, per Rivals, and are closing in on a 2025 class that currently ranks sixth. The Sooners also simply have more roster continuity, especially defensively.

"After (former OU coach Lincoln Riley) left in 2021... our roster was not prepared for the Exodus, if you will," Venables said. "I think that kind of goes without saying but we had a lot of work to do in developing into competitive depth... Now I see a group of young men in a locker room that understand — deeply, highly, highly invested young men and this is not just defense — the value system, they value with every bit as much as the coaches and so when I think about what our potential is and what we're capable of, that's gets me excited because of the right people on the bus, you got them on the right seat.

"We'll see. Check back in December on who we're going to be."

The Sooners have known the SEC move was coming since July 2021. Now it's here, and there's been a lot of preparation for this moment.

In just a few weeks, they'll have the chance to prove they are SEC ready.

"I love the direction of this football team and the development since January that's taken place, but we still have a lot of work to do," Venables said. "A lot of excitement, but we got a lot of work to do, and we still have an opportunity over the next several of weeks and couple of months to continue to develop, which I think is going to be critical as we chase an opportunity (to) compete for an SEC Championship."

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