Portal SZN arrives

The countdown is on. We’re now less than a week away from the transfer portal bursting open and letting chaos reign for the next month.

Even though the window won’t officially open for non-grad transfers until after the bowl selections are announced Sunday, that hasn’t stopped players from across the country to let people know their intention to hit the portal.

And then there’s Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables. His long-term goal, absolutely, is to not have to rely on the portal much at all. His logic, his hope of building such a strong foundation, such a strong culture that when these windows open, there is very little movement.

But that won’t be the case in 2022, and Venables knows that.

“You have a lot going on at once,” said Venables after Saturday’s loss at Texas Tech. “There’ll be players that have an opportunity – they have systems set up in such a way where they have opportunities to evaluate what they want to do, and we’ll have conversations with guys both ways, you know?

“So we’ll address that in the next several days and respond to the ones that we need to when they happen. That part will inevitably happen.”

Venables and staff had to be aggressive for the portal going into the 2022 year, and nothing should change after the rough 6-6 season the Sooners just had.

It’s going to work both ways, always does. Some guys gave Venables and the new regime a chance, and it didn’t pan out. Some guys, well, maybe they don’t fit the scheme.

“So it's hard. As I told the coaches, that's not gonna be the only answer,” said Venables two weeks ago. “I mean, you're not gonna get bailed out. OK? Because I'm not gonna – there's one guy, he's kicked off a team and I got a couple coaches come to me like, ‘Hey, man, this is the one, he's the one.’ I’m like, ‘That coach kicked him off their team.’

“And again, sometimes things happen. ‘But this coach don’t kick nobody off the team, unless they've done something,’ I’m like, ‘That's supposed to be our answer? You know? And guess what? He hasn't played for the other team yet. And so you spent all this time, these resources, and you put him in your locker room?”

Venables said he doesn’t envision the Sooners needing a quarterback, and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby echoed that sentiment after Saturday’s game in saying he hopes Dillon Gabriel returns for another season in Norman.

Wide receiver, though, is going to be a spot to watch. Again, both ways. There was a report Monday about Theo Wease planning to enter the portal. He’s been non-committal in answering the question, Saturday night and Tuesday.

“I plan on talking to my family and see what they think is best for me,” said Wease on Saturday night. “Definitely talk to God about it. I’m not rushing any decision or anything.”

Wease broke his social media silence Wednesday morning, by officially announcing he will enter the portal as a graduate transfer.

Wease entered the portal after the 2021 season, only to return to the Sooners. Wease wasn’t alone with portal thoughts after 2021 as Marvin Mims admitted he was thinking about doing the same thing.

Mims, of course, stayed and had a tremendous junior season for the Sooners.

“You know, I've been asked a bunch, but I definitely plan on playing in the bowl game,” Mims said. “Just taking that one out, you know, enjoying the week with my teammates. But as far as after that, I mean, I have no idea what I want to do yet.

“But, you know, I'm just, I mean, I've haven’t even started the conversations with family and coaches and all that stuff. So no, I haven't decided yet.”

Mims could be just as likely to enter the NFL Draft as he would be to enter the transfer portal, but that gives you an idea of how nuts the next month is going to be.

OU had its first player announce Tuesday afternoon when sophomore defensive back Jordan Mukes let people know he would be hitting the portal.

Mukes played a lot as a true freshman, but was having a planned redshirt this season as OU coaches were preparing him to move to the Cheetah role that DaShaun White played so well in 2022.

Mukes, though, is still on the OU online roster, while a couple of others aren’t. Defensive linemen Clayton Smith and Kevonte Henry haven’t announced anything on social media, but neither is on the OU online roster.

The portal taketh and giveth. The Sooners made their first strike with former Notre Dame defensive lineman Jacob Lacey.

Lacey visited Norman for OU’s 38-35 defeat to Baylor and announced his intentions Thanksgiving afternoon.

He will be the first of many, many defensive linemen the Sooners will no doubt be targeting.

Each coach will have their own approach to the portal, with players and their support staff. Venables was transparent as ever when discussing the topic a couple of weeks ago.

“I’m gonna tell these parents, ‘I’m gonna work really hard to surround your son with great people.’ You know, people matter,” Venables said. “People always make the place. And so finding the right kind of people that are about all the right stuff: they're good enough, bare minimum. Starts with that.

“And then making sure that, again, they're about the right stuff and their values align. Again, they value education, value structure and accountability and the discipline, and, you know, want to be told the truth and want to have to work for their opportunity. They're not entitled to anything.”

Buckle up and get ready for portal season.