Oklahoma Sooners among ESPN's biggest offseason winners

USA Today

14-05-2025

Oklahoma Sooners among ESPN's biggest offseason winners
The "quieter" portion of the college football offseason is upon us, as the majority of the dust has settled from spring football practice and the transfer portal window. We're less than three-and-a-half months away from Week Zero, which is on August 23. The Oklahoma Sooners will begin their 2025 season in Week One on August 30 against FCS Illinois State.
ESPN and staff writers Eli Lederman, Max Olson, and Adam Rittenberg took the opportunity to rank the offseason for every single Power Four conference team. The trio stacked all 68 teams that reside in the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 (plus FBS Independent Notre Dame). In the new era of college football, it's paramount to win in the offseason with the changes that are inevitable every year. That sets you up for wins on the field in the fall.
ESPN is high on OU's offseason, ranking it as the SEC's second-best offseason, behind only the LSU Tigers (their top overall team). The hire of a new offensive coordinator and the addition of a new starting quarterback in Norman is a big reason why.
Entering a pivotal year, head coach Brent Venables made a major offensive coordinator hire in Ben Arbuckle, who brought quarterback John Mateer with him from Washington State. Arbuckle coached Cam Ward and Mateer in Pullman, and he should immediately boost a Sooners offense that finished 97th nationally in scoring last season. - ESPN.
The Arbuckle-Mateer combination has their work cut out for them after OU's offense was dreadful a season ago. Venables cannot afford to have an incompetent offense again like the one he had last year. Injuries and inexperience played a huge role in what went wrong for the Sooners last offseason. They can't control all of the injuries, but the Sooners were able to add a lot of experience and production in the portal.
Almost nothing went right for the Sooners in 2024 across a disastrous SEC debut that resulted in the program's second losing season since 1998 and turned up the heat on Venables' seat. That prompted the offensive overhaul. Past Mateer, Jaydn Ott, Florida State edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr. and Kendal Daniels marked Oklahoma's flashiest bits of portal business. But questions remain over whether the Sooners did enough to bolster the wide receiver and offensive line units that cratered their season a year ago. - ESPN.
It's understandable that there would be concerns about the offensive line and at wide receiver. The Sooners brought in two Power Four receivers in Isaiah Sategna and Josiah Martin, but they'll also be relying on guys who spent 2024 at the FCS level. Along the offensive line, Derek Simmons represents the biggest offensive line piece aside from true freshmen Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje. Simmons was a highly regarded addition out of Western Carolina who performed well in games against SEC competition over the last two seasons. Oklahoma also added Luke Baklenko and Jake Maikkula from Stanford this offseason to shore up any depth concerns.
Going 6-7 at the University of Oklahoma isn't satisfactory by a long shot. Venables and OU have made sweeping changes to make that happen. The additions through the transfer portal have Oklahoma set up to make a big leap in their win total in 2025. Despite lingering questions at multiple spots on the roster, ESPN believes that upgrading at quarterback can cover up some holes when the Sooners have the football. But that's not the only place the Sooners got better. Adding Jaydn Ott to the running back room gives Arbuckle a big play threat out of the backfield.
Oklahoma got its quarterback situation sorted when it swapped Jackson Arnold (Auburn) for Mateer, who accounted for 3,319 passing yards and 44 total touchdowns last fall. The fourth-year passer provides the Sooners with dual-threat playmaking ability, but also a certain confidence Oklahoma sorely lacked in 2024. If he can stay healthy, Ott, who rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 scores in 2023, is another new weapon for Arbuckle's offense. And the Sooners added plenty of new options in the passing game with JaVonnie Gibson (UAPB) and Isaiah Sategna (Arkansas) among four new wide receivers joining returners Deion Burks and Jayden Gibson. - ESPN.
Bill Connelly, also of ESPN, chimed in with even bolder praise for the Sooners and the work they've done this offseason to try and turn things around in Norman.
No one needed a good offseason more desperately than Venables, but he probably put together the best offseason in college football. We'll see if it translates to wins against another brutal schedule, but Arbuckle, Mateer & Co. should produce a solid turnaround in the points department. Offseason national champions. - Connelly, ESPN
Anytime you can add a quarterback who has accounted for nearly 4,000 total yards and 40 touchdowns, as OU did with John Mateer, it can change the trajectory of your program. On the hot seat now, Venables has a chance to coach himself off the hot seat with a big season in 2025. Mateer is the playmaker and the leader this team needs.
Lederman, Olson, and Rittenberg weren't quite that high on Oklahoma's offseason but still placed it sixth out of all 68 Power Four teams. While much of what happened will have a direct impact on the 2025 season alone, the addition of Jim Nagy at general manager has short and long-term implications for the Oklahoma Sooners.
OU needed a big offseason after a disappointing 2024 and delivered. An embattled offense landed the Pullman package deal of offensive coordinator Arbuckle and quarterback Mateer from Washington State. OU added help around Mateer with running back Ott and others. The team also has a clear personnel direction with general manager Jim Nagy, the former Senior Bowl executive director. - ESPN.
Nagy's already made his presence felt in the portal and on the recruiting trail, helping the Sooners land Ott, Maikkula, and wide receiver Jer'Michael Carter in the spring portal window.
Only LSU, Texas Tech, Penn State, Oregon, and Clemson were said to have better offseasons than Oklahoma. The Sooners also ranked one spot ahead of the Auburn Tigers, who will be their opponent to open conference play on September 20th in Norman.
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