DALLAS — As Oklahoma makes its entrance into the SEC, third-year coach Brent Venables has not wavered in his imaginative and prescient of getting a dominant protection. However he admitted Tuesday the rising pains in getting there haven’t been enjoyable.
Venables, who spent the majority of his profession as a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma after which Clemson earlier than turning into Sooners head coach, made his title along with his relentless, aggressive defenses setting the tone yr in and yr out. Whereas the Sooners made strides in getting there final season, Venables stated in 12 months 3 the time has come to “vehemently defend the usual.”
“I can sit right here and say oh, it has been lots of enjoyable to construct the roster and construct the protection and get higher,” Venables stated. “I definitely acknowledge the advance the place it is taken place, however none of it has been enjoyable. It has been actually laborious, however you have had a transparent imaginative and prescient for what you need.”
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Venables defined that when he took the job after the 2021, Oklahoma misplaced 40 defensive gamers within the first 15 months.
“I do not really feel just like the roster was set as much as maintain these losses,” he stated.
Consequently, Oklahoma struggled on protection, rating within the backside 10 within the nation in permitting 461 yards per recreation. Final season, Oklahoma improved in lots of areas – rating No. 2 within the nation in interceptions, for instance.
However Venables stated the group was just too inconsistent. Gamers cited giving up too many massive performs, and lacking too many tackles. Now, with the guts of his protection returning – together with security Billy Bowman and linebacker Danny Stutsman, the expectation is for huge enchancment.
“There is no different choice,” Bowman stated.
Stutsman stated one of many largest causes he determined to return to highschool was after a cellphone name with Venables, who talked at size about ending out with a stellar senior season. Add to that Oklahoma’s entrance into the SEC, and Stutsman feels there’s a lot on the road for the protection in 2024.
When instructed his teammates stated this yr’s protection can be significantly better, he stated, “I’d hope so,” with amusing.
The explanation?
“It is my final yr,” he stated.
“While you take a look at how a lot it means — the followers which might be so supportive of myself — you know the way massive that is for them,” Stutsman stated. “We go within the SEC one time. There’s going to be no first season within the SEC once more.”
That, after all, results in the guts of the query surrounding Oklahoma headed into its new convention house. Will or not it’s ok to compete for a playoff spot within the deepest convention within the nation?
“What Oklahoma has performed within the years of being in faculty soccer, it is extremely prestigious,” Bowman stated. “We have overwhelmed loads of SEC groups. What is the distinction now? It should be a problem although. It will likely be. I am not going to sit down right here and never say that it will not be, we’re trying ahead to it.”
And lots of that begins with the protection. Venables famous by means of recruiting and the switch portal – the place the Sooners have bulked up on the line of defense – the unit is beginning to look the way in which he desires. There’s aggressive depth now, and expertise throughout the board.
Greater than that, Venables believes gamers have taken possession, understanding there’s a particular mindset because it pertains to toughness and growing requirements. However he additionally acknowledges there’s nonetheless a lot left to do.
“My imaginative and prescient is a dominant protection, dominant defensive tradition that has legs and has folks like Danny, like Billy,” Venables stated. “You keep in mind defenses due to these folks, these jersey numbers — not due to the Sooners. That is what I am dreaming for.”
