Observations from Sooners' First Trip to SEC Media Days
The Oklahoma Sooners’ first appearance at the SEC Media Days circus didn’t produce much in the way of fireworks.
No uncomfortable analogies this year from head coach Brent Venables. No brash proclamations from player representatives Jackson Arnold, Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman. The whole affair felt very corporate, right down to Stutsman in a suit.
With that in mind, a few notes from the (lack of) spectacle…
*Naturally, the running theme of this offseason in Norman has been Venables’ management of the transition to the new conference. That continued on Tuesday in response to the prodding of the SEC’s regional press.
It’s still jarring to think that within 15 months of Venables’ hire, 75 scholarship players cycled out of the program. The fact that 52 scholarship players on the 2024 team are going into their first or second season in college speaks to the realities of overhauling a roster in the current environment of college football. It also points to the squad potentially taking a giant leap forward… in 2025.
*As for Venables himself, he seemed more CEO and less defensive coordinator than he has presented himself in the past. He replaced the rambling filibuster of an opening statement, for example, with succinct remarks before diving right into questions.
As for the content of what Venables said, he didn’t give us much that was earth-shattering. I found the question about OU’s ability to match up with schools like “Texas A&M and Arkansas” in recruiting funny.
Take note of this comment, however, when asked about how the Sooners have prepared for the upcoming season:
…I think going through it a season you'll figure that out. You'll figure out what was good, what wasn't good, the areas of your program, your roster that need improvement so that you can match up and have an opportunity to compete for championships.
*Venables made an offhand remark about Stutsman returning to school for his senior season despite receiving “an excellent grade” from NFL scouts prior to this year’s draft. It depends on how Venables defines excellent, but I had assumed Stutsman received some discouraging feedback during that process. Very interesting.
*For his part, Stutsman was pretty buttoned-up. Sounds like he knows he’s in a contract year.
*Looks like Jackson Arnold was instructed to keep this short and sweet. He didn’t give away much with this answers.
*A desperate plea to members of the media: Enough with the “horns down” stuff. It is mind-numbing.