OU Football 2024 Season

[Swake]

Yes, the regulations state 105 maximum scholarships. SEC choose 85. A school could choose 0 also (not that any would, but they could). Just can't go over the limit.

The Ivy league doesn't grant athletic scholarships.

[OKCRealtor]

Great call at the end, really epitomized the whole season

Lot of issues and overall we are in a horrible spot after Venables 3rd year and trending down. Hasn't he only produced 1 guy from offense to NFL- Tyler Guyton?

Even if Mateer is the best player in the country next year we could still be middle of the road.

[Laramie]

[April in the Plaza]

Bedenbaugh might need to switch up the twirly whistle shtick. Tbh, that move is only workable if you’re in The Playoffs.

[OKCRealtor]

USC tied us for SEC wins last night and managed a winning season, with a backup QB & missing other key players as well against A&M.

I know these bowl games are somewhat meaningless missing so many starters but I just don't buy into all the injuries & excuses being the primary reason we are at this point.

We've now had 2/3 losing seasons after only 1 in over 20 years previously.

This should have been the year we really took a stride and turned the corner instead of a complete rebuild on offense.

I like BV and still hopeful for a good year next year with Mateer excitement and new OC but we are in all around bad shape on offense with BV as the coach after 3 years. I realize the portal can change things significantly but can't help to think there isn't much currently on the roster to be excited about next year other than Mateer.

[BoulderSooner]

The Ivy league doesn't grant athletic scholarships.

they are also not FBS so they are not part of the new roster limit or settlement in ANY way .

[BoulderSooner]

USC tied us for SEC wins last night and managed a winning season, with a backup QB & missing other key players as well against A&M.

they won with their STARTING QB ... not a backup ..

[PhiAlpha]

they won with their STARTING QB ... not a backup ..

Was miller moss benched or injured before this?

[SEMIweather]

https://x.com/PeteThamel/status/1873132760141111326

This program is so unbelievably cooked. We are losing coaches from the side of the ball that was actually competent this year while nearly all of the offensive staff sticks around.

[Boop]

https://x.com/PeteThamel/status/1873132760141111326

This program is so unbelievably cooked. We are losing coaches from the side of the ball that was actually competent this year while nearly all of the offensive staff sticks around.

I am surprised he left but at the same time, the defense was not great anyway

[Dob Hooligan]

Wasn't he a "Co-coordinator"? Usually a title given to a young coach who is ambitious, but not the top dog. Kinda like all those "Associate Head Coach" titles that the older guys get nowadays.

I think he is a West Virginia guy, through and through. And a Rich Rodriguez protégé. This is a job he was going to leave for without doubt.

OU's defense is stout, and in good hands.

[Boop]

Wasn't he a "Co-coordinator"? Usually a title given to a young coach who is ambitious, but not the top dog. Kinda like all those "Associate Head Coach" titles that the older guys get nowadays.

I think he is a West Virginia guy, through and through. And a Rich Rodriguez protégé. This is a job he was going to leave for without doubt.

OU's defense is stout, and in good hands.

The defense is not stout, did you forget giving up a 95 yard touchdown run against Navy?

I can see you saying this as the defensive coordinator:

Gives up a 14 point lead: "The defense is stout anyway"

Gives up a 95 yard touchdown run "The defense is stout anyway"

Gives up a long pass for a touchdown "The defense is stout anyway"

Gives up a long run for a touchdown "The defense is stout anyway"

I am glad you are not the defensive coordinator

[OKCRealtor]

they won with their STARTING QB ... not a backup ..

He was the QB for 4 games lol

[OKCRealtor]

https://x.com/PeteThamel/status/1873132760141111326

This program is so unbelievably cooked. We are losing coaches from the side of the ball that was actually competent this year while nearly all of the offensive staff sticks around.

You have to wonder what has really happened inside the program this last year all around. Not much looks good.

Is Zac Alley really that great I have to wonder?

The defense was good but by no means great. Definitely not elite or as good as the top SEC teams but compared to 3 years ago we’ll take it.

If the D regresses any at all or doesn’t take the next leap it’s not going to be pretty.

Caatiglione has to be thinking a year ahead at this point when they get SEC money & the buyout becomes more maneagable.

Mateer is going to need to have a magic like Johnny Manziel or truly be something special because the defense is not a difference maker where they are now anyways.

If Arbuckle is really a whiz kid & Mateer has a great year they could both be one & done.

Lebby also bolted quick and took a bottom barrel SEC job. He would have been better off in Norman another year IMO but wanted out with the Briles drama I imagine.

Regardless it doesn’t seem like we have a culture that makes you feel good about any continuity or stability.

[dankrutka]

Aside from the Mateer news, it really seems like the football program is in a complete downward spiral. As much as I like Venables, he's completely failing on every level. I always thought his strength was his culture and integrity, but it's become clear he doesn't even excel in those areas. Quality players are transferring at massive rates, he can't even keep coaches he's supposedly close with, and he's lost any claim to integrity by pulling scholarships of committed kids at the last minute. Venable's has proven he's just not a good game day coach as his teams are always mistake filled, especially when the stakes are high. What's one thing that Venables is actually good at? The only success he's had is in turning around the defense, but that's at risk because he can't keep guys from transferring or coordinators from leaving.

Venables is supposed to be a linebacker guru and he just lost Lewis Carter from an already depleted linebacker room. This is after completely failing in linebacker recruitment two cycles in a row (btw, that's exactly how the offensive line got so bad this year). I think Alley left because he knows that the program is flailing and BV will be fired next season. OU has no competent tight ends and couldn't even land one decent from the transfer portal. They are desperate for WRs and all they can land is D2 players. They're having to take mediocre players from division 2 schools just to fill out the roster. The players OU lost are much better than the ones they brought in as they almost all landed at big time programs. OU has long been able to rely on its history as a football powerhouse, but all the evidence suggest that OU is not a program that can compete in the new NIL world. We just don't have the donor base as other programs... much less Texas, who may benefit as much as any program from NIL changes. They have all the resources to go on a long streak of dominating OU for years.

Keeping Venables another year is just setting the program back another year from the incoming full rebuild. The best possible move is to fire him now and identify the next coach to lead the program. Otherwise, it'll just be a longer before OU is relevant again. Even then, the future doesn't look bright in this NIL era. OU is regularly being outspent by historically bad/mediocre programs like Ole Miss, Missouri, and Texas Tech for players. OU's historical advantages are all gone now. Players prefer Texas Tech's money to OU's past success.

OU may be the new Nebraska, unfortunately, and going to the SEC may have been a massive mistake. With our 2025 schedule, the team could be much improved and still finish 5-7. That will assuredly get Venables fired and lead to a mass exodus of players. I don't think OU has the means to recover anymore. OU has never been in such a position of futility and I'm not sure how they recover from it.

[BG918]

OU is a Top 5 all-time program with plenty of big donors. OU will be fine, with or without Venables.

[BDP]

Wasn't he a "Co-coordinator"? Usually a title given to a young coach who is ambitious, but not the top dog. Kinda like all those "Associate Head Coach" titles that the older guys get nowadays.

I think he is a West Virginia guy, through and through. And a Rich Rodriguez protégé. This is a job he was going to leave for without doubt.

This is true. The reality is that it is a co-coordinator position. Did anyone ever refer to it as "Zac Alley's defense"? Had Zac Alley's name even been mentioned on this thread since the hiring? Everyone talks about it as BV's defense and he gets all the credit or blame for how it performs. I don't know how accurate that really is, but it is certainly how it has always been perceived.

I'm sure he just always wanted to go somewhere and be a coordinator on his own at a power 4 school. The fact he's going to work with a head coach he has experience with just explains why it's WVU. The program may have some problems right now, but this really isn't a symptom of it.

[dankrutka]

OU is a Top 5 all-time program with plenty of big donors. OU will be fine, with or without Venables.

If OU is "fine" then why have they had losing records in 2 of the last 3 seasons? If OU has plenty of big donors, then how come OU can't compete with other schools for portal players because they are regularly outbid on their top targets?

[bamarsha]

I don’t ever remember OU (or any other program) have 3 seasons like this (awful with Muleshoe circumstances, to much improved, to awful with injuries taking out almost entire units). Throw in the changing of conferences to the wild west NIL era… that’s a lot of change in a short amount of time.

BV is learning how to be the HC, he has made some mistakes. Some of his assistants are trying to “coach” on name alone. Just heard today that one of the main reasons Alley left was because BV was way too involved in the defense and Alley wanted to run the defense himself (easier to get a HC job if they think you are running the defense, as a DC). The OC left for a HC job (like most do, especially when it is an SEC HC job).

As for the transfers, I would guess that a large majority of P4 transfers are those who were not good enough to play on their current team and are looking for somewhere they can get PT while… while the other part are studs getting a massive payday. The small school transfers are the best of the best on their level trying to make it big time. Why not take the best from the smaller schools instead of the ones that aren’t good enough to play from other power schools? Yes, it would help to get a couple of the money grabbers too, but there are only so many of them with a lot of other schools bidding for their service.

And for those of you that keep saying OU can’t afford to play the NIL game… OU ranked (unfortunately, the end of the 2022 season data but written in 2024 is the best I can find in a quick, non-pay site search) 8th spending $597 million. Oregon (thanks Nike) is #1 at $969 million. In 2024, OU ranked 4th with most NIL deals with athletes at 268 (Florida, Texas, and Ohio State above us). So, while we may not be keeping up with the top of the top, we are way up the list.

All this to say, BV is a great man, but can he adapt to what is required of a HC these days (especially when that is a changing target)? If he learns from his mistakes, he could be the next great HC. Only time will tell.

[dankrutka]

Honest question: How many coaches that had two losing seasons in their first three years ever went on to win a national title at that school?

[jedicurt]

Honest question: How many coaches that had two losing seasons in their first three years ever went on to win a national title at that school?

chatGPT says none. i haven't had the time to look personally

[Bill Robertson]

I've heard radio conversations that had some surprising names of first time head coaches that started out badly but ended up being very successful. Not National Championship successful but that's a very high bar.
There is at least one though. Bill Mc Cartney won 7 total games in the first three years (82 to 84) at Colorado then won the 1990 Championship.

[Zuplar]

I was listening to Kelly Gregg on the radio a little bit this morning and he seemed to be more doom and gloom than I typically hear from him. Sounded like he thought the culture had kind of gone to crap and things weren't looking very good. He played under Schnellenberger so he has a different perspective than most.


NIL and the conference change has so many things up in the air, I've had a pretty open mind, but I'm starting to get a little more worried.

[Bellaboo]

If OU is "fine" then why have they had losing records in 2 of the last 3 seasons? If OU has plenty of big donors, then how come OU can't compete with other schools for portal players because they are regularly outbid on their top targets?

This year, because Jackson Arnold could not hold onto the ball, and at times thows the ball to the other team, like to the Tulane linebacker that took it to the house. They put too much into Arnold, and he is not Him.

[dankrutka]

If Arnold was the primary problem then why was OU unable to even compete with South Carolina or couldn’t beat Navy. Arnold is an easy scapegoat, but the program can’t even field a competent tight end or outbid historically inferior programs for one. OU still can’t get a TE. Doesn’t sound like a blueblood program to me. The problems go way deeper than Arnold.