Oklahoma Football Preview 2026: Brent Venables Has Built a Team to Win It All
· Yahoo Sports
What would happen if the Oklahoma teams that produced offensively under Lincoln Riley could suddenly crank up a killer defense at the same time?
It took a few years to get there, but we found out what it could all look like in the Brent Venables era.
One of the best defensive coordinators in college football during his time at Clemson, Venables was always going to put together a good group on that side of the ball, but it didn't happen right away.
Oklahoma Has Everything To Do Even More
Oct 25, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables before the game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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His 2022 defense was among the worst in the country. It got a little better in 2023, and in 2024, it started to kick in, finishing 19th in the nation.
Last year, the Sooners finished sixth in the country in total defense, led by a killer group up front.
At the same time, the offense - while not as explosive as it should've been; more on that in a moment - with the right transfers, right coordinator, it started to do what it was supposed to.
Despite the disappointing finish, it was a breakthrough season that showed the potential of what Oklahoma football can be in the not-everyone-finishes-first world of the SEC.
There's still a massive problem with a nasty schedule littered with enough landmines to lose at least three games, and there has to be a bit of an attitude adjustment after how things closed out.
There was that moment in the College Football Playoff loss to Alabama when it seemed like the entire Oklahoma program didn't believe that it was okay to have nice things.
But everything is there to take that next step up from great to a whole other level.
You want the comp? Dabo Swinney went 32-20 over his first 52 games as the Clemson head coach. Venables is 32-20 so far at OU.
- 2026 Oklahoma Schedule Analysis
Oklahoma Quick Hits
- Head Coach: Brent Venables (5th year: 32-20)
- Best Case / Worst Case: Win the national title/Lose more than two games and miss out on the College Football Playoff
- Key Player: John Mateer, QB Sr.
- 2025 Record: 10-3
- Biggest Question: Can the Sooners do all the little things right - and survive the tough schedule - to get to ten wins and another CFP trip?
Oklahoma Key 2025 Stats
- 1st Quarter Scoring: Oklahoma 81, Opponents 26
- Sacks: Oklahoma 45 for 290 yards, Opponents 29 for 178 yards
- Penalties: Oklahoma 88 for 795 yards, Opponents 58 for 469 yards
Offense
Oklahoma had the 113th-best offense in America in 2024. It didn't rock the Casbah statistically last year, but under offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, it worked in almost perfect harmony at times with the defensive side in a far better year.
Finishing 92nd in the nation in total offense isn't good enough, but there was a way the whole thing fit together that made it all work, and it started with ...
What’s Working
John Mateer. At the time - no one knew Fernando Mendoza would turn into that - Mateer was the best quarterback get in the transfer portal.
The former Washington State Cougar was perfect for the Sooners - it looked like his Heisman for the taking over the first month of the season.
He injured his hand, tried to gut it out against Texas, and he wasn't quite himself the rest of the way. That didn't crush the explosiveness of the offense, but it sure didn't help.
Now he's back, ready to go, and if he can stay in one piece, in an odd sort of way as the Quarterback No One Is Talking About, he should be one of the most important players in college football.
Back to that whole "perfect harmony" thing. Yes, it will be nice if Oklahoma can put up 500 yards per game on a regular basis, but that's not quite necessary.
The Sooners were 10-1 when the defense allowed fewer than 34 points, and that one loss was to Texas when Mateer wasn't right.
Turnovers were an occasional problem - more on this in a moment - but what Oklahoma did really, really well (at least until the second half of the CFP game against Bama) was control the tempo and game flow.
What it also did well was take advantage of scoring changes.
The Sooners were No. 1 in the nation in red zone offense. It only failed one time inside the 20 ... Alabama on December 19th.
The line should be far stronger. It was already going to be good with three starters expected back and Ryan Fodje likely moving to guard, and then it landed Arkansas tackle E'Marion Harris to round out the starting five.
Center Caleb Nitta from Western Kentucky and tackle Peyton Joseph from Georgia Tech were great signings for the depth.
What Needs Work
Okay, okay - the Oklahoma offense needs to be better. Yes, it works great in the system, and yes, it's not about the stats, it's about the game flow, controlling the tempo, etc.
Now go out there and hang 30 on the board every time out.
The Sooners need to find a steady ground game. It finished 112th in the nation - unacceptable with a quarterback like Mateer - and the backs were generally fine when they got their chances. Just get to 4.5 yards per carry instead of 3.5, and everything will be okay.
Turnovers against good teams. It's fine when the defense is rocking and the offense is doing its part, but that leaves little margin for error.
The Sooners didn't have a huge turnover problem, but they did give it up multiple times in five games. Once against Illinois State - that wasn't a big deal - but the other four times were against Texas, Tennessee, Michigan, and LSU.
OU only lost the date with the Longhorns among those four, but that's playing with fire if the attack isn't cranking up points.
The receivers have been strangely underwhelming over the last few years. Injuries ruined the corps two seasons ago, but last year's group was just okay.
One of the exceptions was Isaiah Sategna, the leading receiver with 67 catches and eight scores. He's back, and helping the cause are Trell Harris from Virginia and Parker Livingstone from Texas.
Overall, the downfield plays have to start happening on a regular basis.
Player to Watch
Xavier Robinson, RB Jr.
He's a compact, tough runner who needs the ball in his hands more.
The 6-0 junior bulked up to 238 pounds, and he showed what he could do back-to-back 100-yard games against Ole Miss and Tennessee. He's part of a rotation, but the more pressure he can take off Mateer, the better.
© NATE BILLINGS/FOR THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Defense
That's the Oklahoma defense we were all waiting for under Brent Venables.
It was a force of nature up front, third in the nation against the run, No. 1 in sacks, No. 1 in tackles for loss, and now this bunch should be even better.
What’s Working
The whole idea is to not give up points. Five times last year the Sooners held teams to seven points or fewer, and now they're better.
The Oklahoma defense only allowed more than 27 once - not tagging the scoring D with the pick-six thrown by John Mateer in the CFP against Alabama - and gave up 21 or fewer nine times.
There's experience, depth, talent, and the attitude that it could and should be a force every time out.
The pass rush. It came from all areas, and that's not about to stop.
R Mason Thomas is a Kansas City Chief, but Taylor Wein is back at one end after making seven sacks, linebacker Kip Lewis returns after coming up with four, and on and on - the production is back to live in opposing backfields again.
Oklahoma has two terrors at linebacker. Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke were 1-2 on the team in tackles, combining to make 150 stops, 22.5 tackles for loss, and seven sacks.
They're back, and Reggie Powers III is a speedy veteran at the outside Cheetah position. Also helping the cause is Cole Sullivan, a ready-to-go inside option from Michigan.
What Needs Work
(Nitpicking time) The secondary should be terrific, but the depth needs developing. It helps when you have the best pass rush in the nation helping the cause, but the defensive backs are just that good. The starting five is terrific, but it could take a minute to build up the depth.
Brothers Peyton and Eli Bowen are All-SEC talents - Peyton's a safety who led the team with seven broken up passes, and Eli is a corner who missed time hurt, but he was a big playmaker highlighted by a pick six in the win over Alabama.
The pass rush should continue to be great, but the line lost a few stars in R Mason Thomas on the outside and Gracen Halton and Damonic Williams in the interior. There's not a huge worry here, but they were all a big part of making the Sooner defensive front a force.
More takeaways. It was one of the odd anomalies of the SEC season. Oklahoma had this great defense, and it didn't force enough turnovers.
It was feast-or-famine, with all 13 coming in six games and none in the other seven. Two of the four fumble recoveries came in the first win over Alabama.
Player to Watch
Peyton Bowen, S Sr.
A steady tackler over his first three years, he became more of a playmaker with the ball in the air last season.
With his size, range, and experience at the strong safety spot, he should be a stat-sheet filler doing even more than the 47 stops, two interceptions, and seven broken up passes of last season.
Keys to the Season
- Better all-around play from the offensive line.
- Keep John Mateer healthy.
- Come up with a repeat of 2025 on defense, especially with the pass rush.
Player Who Needs To Shine
Michael Fausi, OT Soph.
Thrown out there as a true freshman, the 6-5, 320-pounder held up fine in his ten starts. A superstar recruit with early NFL Draft pick upside, he's got the left tackle gig down for at least the next two years.
Everything else is in place on the line, and as he gets more experienced, the overall attack will be that much better.
Biggest Concern
Clean up the little things.
Oklahoma was able to get to 10-2 and the College Football Playoff last year. But to win the SEC title and be a true national title player, it has to do everything right.
That means be better on kickoff returns - there were only two for 16 yards. It's okay to take a few more chances.
Cut down on the penalties (88 last year), dominate the turnover margin, be better on third downs, get nastier on the offensive front, recover more fumbles ... sharpen up just a bit, and then look out.
Biggest Game
at Michigan, September 12
Obviously the Texas game is everything, and going to Georgia is a big deal, and there are several other SEC games of note to deal with.
But if the Sooners are really good enough to have huge national title-level dreams, they can get win their share of big conference battles.
However, they have to budget in two SEC losses, just because there are so many tough dates.
Last year they got into the College Football Playoff with two SEC defeats, but they also beat Michigan early on. Lose in Ann Arbor this time around, and it'll be a heavy lift to go 9-1 the rest of the way.
Transfer Portal
The Sooners didn't need a total overhaul this time around.
Last year they loaded up with several important signings to kick the whole thing into gear. Now there's enough depth and returning talent to be more than okay.
The coaching staff did some fine-tuning with some high-end signings to fill in a few gaps, but there isn't a bulk load coming in for any one particular area.
Best Signing
E'Marion Harris, OT (Arkansas)
The offensive line isn't necessarily a weakness, but it could and should be far better. Adding the 6-5, 312-pound tackle from Arkansas will make everything a lot easier for the veteran front five.
Biggest Loss
Sammy Omosigho, LB (UCLA)
The Sooners didn't lose anyone irreplaceable, but Omosigho was a good part of the linebacking puzzle with 50 tackles and two sacks.
Combine his leaving for UCLA with Kobie McKinzie going to Northwestern, and linebacker is the one area that takes a bit of a hit, at least to the depth.
Other Names to Know
- Hayden Hansen, TE (Florida)
- Trell Harris, WR (Virginia)
- Cole Sullivan, LB (Michigan)
CFN Season Prediction
Everything is in place to come up with another massive season.
The star quarterback returns with more weapons to work with. The line should be better, the defense will be great, and the coaching staff has found its footing.
And then there's the SEC schedule that could squash all of the hopes and dreams in a flash and make OU this year's 2025 Texas - CFP good, but just on the outside looking in at 9-3.
This all hinges on that trip to Michigan on September 12. Win, and the record-rankers on the College Football Playoff committee will like 10-2. Lose, and 9-3 locks OU out. So for now ...
CFN Prediction: 10-2
Here's the positive side. Last year's second act of the schedule - Texas, at South Carolina, Ole Miss, at Tennessee, at Alabama, Missouri, LSU - looked unplayable going into the season. OU lost two of those.
This year, Kentucky, at Mississippi State, South Carolina, at Florida (four teams that weren't bowl eligible - even though MSU went to one - last season), Ole Miss, Texas A&M, at Missouri. That's far easier by comparison, but not a breeze.
at Michigan, at Georgia, Texas (in Dallas) - those three are the problem.
There should be two losses, maybe three, but this will still be one of the 12 best teams in college football.
Related: SEC Football Win Totals 2026: Spring Predictions for All 16 Teams