OU's Brent Venables, John Mateer, R Mason Thomas and Robert Spears-Jennings have plenty to talk about at SEC Media Days ahead of Sooners' pivotal season.
ATLANTA — There will be plenty of attention on OU football Wednesday when the Sooners make their rounds at SEC media days at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Much of the focus will be on OU coach Brent Venables and quarterback John Mateer.
Venables is entering a critical fourth season with plenty of uncertainty.
The Sooners have finished with losing records in two of Venables’ three seasons, and though the defense has improved greatly during his tenure, the offense slid significantly last season under Seth Littrell and Jackson Arnold.
That led to Littrell being fired late in the season and Arnold ultimately transferring to Auburn with the hire of Ben Arbuckle as the new offensive coordinator and Mateer’s transfer from Washington State.
The college football landscape also continues to shift, with the House settlement and potential legislation looming over the sport and demanding nimble changes.
While some of the pressure of those changes was mitigated by the hiring of general manager Jim Nagy and his staff will bear much of that brunt, Venables remains the face of the program.
Venables also figures to face questions about the recent announcement that athletic director Joe Castiglione will retire, including how that eventual move will affect Venables’ job security.
While Venables isn’t likely to say much about the additional pressure of this season for him — he’s repeatedly said the pressure he puts on himself every season outweighs any external pressure — there’s no doubt this is a critical season for Venables’ tenure.
After a 6-7 finish last season, OU figures to need to show progress for Venables to remain beyond 2025.
In addition to Venables and Mateer, the Sooners will be represented at the event by defensive end R Mason Thomas and safety Robert Spears-Jennings.
Here are three other storylines for the Sooners entering their media days session and several other storylines for the event:
How good will Ben Arbuckle, John Mateer’s OU football offense be?
Like most years at media days, OU football’s quarterback will be the talk of the Sooners’ allotted time at the event.
Mateer led the country with 44 touchdowns last regular season at Washington State. Now, he and former Cougars offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle have teamed up in Norman to see if they can replicate their success in the SEC.
Arbuckle and Mateer spent the spring teaching their offense that ranked 12th nationally a season ago with 38.8 points per game.
OU’s QB1 spoke during spring ball about how important this summer would be for continuing to build chemistry with his teammates and for his personal development. He spent time as a counselor at the Manning Academy in Louisiana and it’ll be insightful to hear where he thinks the Sooners’ offense is just a few weeks out from preseason camp.
Coming off a historically poor offensive performance last season which culminated in Seth Littrell’s firing as offensive coordinator and quarterback Jackson Arnold’s transfer to Auburn, Brent Venables and OU think they’ve found their guys in Arbuckle and Mateer.
All signs point to Mateer cementing himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC and all eyes will be on him as he makes his media days debut on Wednesday.
What do R Mason Thomas and Robert Spears-Jennings have to say about the Sooners’ veteran defense?
While OU lost Some big-time players from last year’s defense in Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman and Ethan Downs, they’ve still got plenty of experience and talent returning.
Thomas and Spears-Jennings each made significant strides next season to help the Sooners’ defense pack plenty of punch.
Spears-Jennings was second on the team with 66 tackles and led the Sooners with four forced fumbles.
Thomas led OU with nine sacks, four more than any other Sooners defender.
While both will undoubtedly be asked about their increased leadership roles, as well as the growth of their own games, they’ll also surely have plenty to say about the state of the defense as a whole and its growth since spring practices ended.
Whose stock has risen this summer and injury updates?
It’s been over three months since OU’s spring camp came to a close with its first-ever Crimson Combine. Every media days there is buzz around players who have taken a jump during the summer and coaches usually provide the latest updates on injuries.
The Sooners have several injuries Venables will certainly be asked about including how Javonnie Gibson is progressing after breaking his leg during spring practice and if Jayden Gibson will be ready for the season. Eli Bowen and Kendel Dolby have been rehabbing and Venables will surely provide an update on their statuses.
OU also received a few transfers following spring camp including offensive lineman Jake Maikkula and kicker Tate Sandell, and it’ll be interesting to hear how their summers have been.
Other storylines to watch for at SEC media days
How Jackson Arnold is fitting in at Auburn: Arnold will represent the Tigers at media days as their QB1. What he’ll say about his time at OU, his offseason and his expectations at Auburn will be fascinating.
SEC folks’ reactions to Joe Castiglione’s retirement news: The most significant story of the Sooners’ offseason will be a hot topic. Castiglione is one of the most respected athletic directors in the country.
Arch Manning mania: While OU feels like it has found its difference-maker at quarterback, no player in the country will have more expectations on him than Manning.
Brenen Thompson’s reunion with Jeff Lebby: It’ll be interesting to hear former Sooners wide receiver Brenen Thompson’s thoughts on playing under Jeff Lebby again at Mississippi State and his reflections on his time at OU.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football questions for SEC media days start with Brent Venables
Category: General Sports
