Oklahoma Sooners included in USA TODAY Sports post-spring top 25
The vibes surrounding the Oklahoma football team couldn't be much higher. At least, couldn't be much higher considering the Sooners are coming off their second 6-7 season in the last three years.
And it isn't just local diehards. National college football writers Paul Myerberg and Erick Smith placed the Sooners at No. 25 in the updated USA TODAY Sports too-early rankings Monday. Oklahoma had not been ranked in the previous iteration.
"The program's downward trend under coach Brent Venables makes this a wild-card pick to round out our post-spring rankings," Myerberg and Smith wrote. "Defensively, Oklahoma should be in good shape after bringing back many of the key pieces behind a unit that ranked seventh in the SEC last season in yards per play."
On the other side of the ball, there's a lot more to be positive about for 2025, thanks to a re-vamped attack. Venables brought in former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle in December. Along with Arbuckle came quarter John Mateer, who quickly established himself as the likely starter. Mateer led FBS in total touchdowns last year, throwing for 15 scores and throwing for 29.
He should have an arsenal at his disposal out wide. Deion Burks and Jacob Jordan, the team's second and third leading receivers last year, return after playing about half the season each last year because of injuries. The Sooners also added Javonnie Gibson from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Josiah Martin from California-Berkeley, Isaiah Sategna from Arkansas and Keontez Lewis from Southern Illinois. The Sooners are also hoping for the return of Jayden Gibson from knee injury that sidelined him for the 2024 season. He was trending toward a breakout season before the injury.
If Oklahoma is able to maintain a reasonable level of health on offense, they'll have a much better season in 2025 than they did a year ago.
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