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Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Josh Pate Sends Strong Message on Quinn Ewers' NFL Draft Decision
Instead of returning to the Texas Longhorns for another season, Quinn Ewers turned a massive amount of NIL and declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. 247Sports' Chip Brown reported that Ewers could have made $8 million in NIL money to stay for another season. On a recent episode of "Josh Pate's College Football Show," Josh Pate had a message for those giving Ewers grief for leaving early. Advertisement Pate believed legacy mattered more than anything to Ewers, despite how much money the Texas star could have made. He pointed to the change in the standard of staying at one school throughout college, whereas players can now transfer and attend multiple schools. Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3). Brett Davis-Imagn Images "Might I use the L word here? Pate asked. "No one knows where I'm going. Legacy. Legacy matters. You've always taken it for granted because, up until about ten minutes ago, guys have played and finished their career at one school. But that's becoming less and less of a norm, especially at his position." Pate further explained the importance of having the title of former Texas quarterback tied to Ewers' name over time. Advertisement "Do you know over the next 30 years, how much it's worth to Quinn Ewers on the speaking circuit, at public events and functions, to be able to market himself as a legacy former Texas quarterback and nothing else? Pate said. "Just Texas quarterback. Because maybe not one year, but over the next several years, that's worth a heck of a lot more than $4 million dollars." Ewers initially started his college career with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2021. He was the top overall prospect and quarterback in the 2021 class via the On3 Industry Rankings. After not receiving adequate playing time, he transferred to Texas, where he spent three seasons. Ewers accounted for 9,128 passing yards, 68 touchdowns and 24 interceptions from 2022-24. The Miami Dolphins eventually took Ewers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Related: Former Texas WR Johntay Cook Predicted to Land With Unexpected ACC Program
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Josh Pate believes the Sooners are loaded heading into 2025
The Oklahoma Sooners have made plenty of changes this offseason, hoping to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2024. In Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables' leadership and Year 2 in the Southeastern Conference, OU simply cannot afford another 6-7 season like the one they had last year. Otherwise, even more drastic changes will be coming to the program. But as for 2025, many national pundits are starting to believe in Venables's moves this winter and spring. That includes Josh Pate, who hosts "Josh Pate's College Football Show" and is a college football analyst for CBS Sports. He believes the Sooners have loaded up this offseason. Advertisement "Oklahoma's made some really, really good moves here," Pate said. "Quarterback was a major concern for them and they went and got (John) Mateer out of Washington State, with his offensive coordinator (Ben Arbuckle) for good measure. Check." The Sooners have made definite upgrades at both quarterback and offensive coordinator, two issues that derailed them a season ago. Jackson Arnold led Oklahoma is passing last year with the lowest yardage total since Jake Sills' 1998 mark in the final season of the John Blake era. Arnold struggled mightily, that's for sure, but he and the rest of the offense were hampered by having Seth Littrell at the controls. He was fired after just seven games. The duo of Joe Jon Finley and Kevin Johns finished out the season but didn't fare much better. Mateer and Arbuckle provide familiarity with each other and proof of concept, two things Arnold and Littrell did not have. Advantage, 2025 Sooners. But while those two moves are massive, they aren't the only changes that have Pate excited about what OU can be this year. "They got maybe the best tailback in the country that was available from Cal," Pate said. Advertisement That would, of course, be Jaydn Ott, the biggest addition for the Sooners in the spring portal window. He was banged up in 2024, but his 2023 campaign has Oklahoma fans imagining what he can do in the backfield alongside Mateer. The Sooners have had to go running back by committee since Eric Gray moved on to the NFL, and have the pieces to do so again this year. But Ott provides a player that is capable of being a game-changer when he's healthy. Speaking of game-changers, Pate is excited about a player that OU is getting back from injury this season as well. "You remember this time last year, we were talking about Deion Burks out of Purdue," Pate said. "He got hurt last year and so he wasn't the impact player we thought he'd be. But he still has that potential. And so he's there, they added a starting OT like we talked about, added two other defensive starters." Burks' decision to come back for one more year of football, and to do it in Norman, was a big boost for Venables and his staff. If he's healthy, he can be the No. 1 target that Mateer and Arbuckle will need him to be. Pate also recognized the job Venables has done in high school recruiting and in the transfer portal since taking over in December of 2021, which means that the talent is there in a lot of places on the roster for Oklahoma. Advertisement "This is a program that has stacked top 10 recruiting classes and portal classes on top of each other," Pate said. "They've got an incredibly difficult schedule this year. But they could also be a College Football Playoff team this year." Are there holes on the depth chart for the 2025 Oklahoma Sooners? Sure, there are. But last December, Venables and the coaching staff headed into an offseason when changes absolutely had to happen after a dismal showing in 2024. While the roster isn't perfect, so many of the problem areas have been addressed and improved in the last five months. But only time will tell whether Venables' moves will pay off this fall. This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Josh Pate lauds OU's offseason moves
USA Today
07-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Josh Pate believes the Sooners are loaded heading into 2025
Josh Pate believes the Sooners are loaded heading into 2025 The Oklahoma Sooners have made plenty of changes this offseason, hoping to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2024. In Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables' leadership and Year 2 in the Southeastern Conference, OU simply cannot afford another 6-7 season like the one they had last year. Otherwise, even more drastic changes will be coming to the program. But as for 2025, many national pundits are starting to believe in Venables's moves this winter and spring. That includes Josh Pate, who hosts "Josh Pate's College Football Show" and is a college football analyst for CBS Sports. He believes the Sooners have loaded up this offseason. "Oklahoma's made some really, really good moves here," Pate said. "Quarterback was a major concern for them and they went and got (John) Mateer out of Washington State, with his offensive coordinator (Ben Arbuckle) for good measure. Check." The Sooners have made definite upgrades at both quarterback and offensive coordinator, two issues that derailed them a season ago. Jackson Arnold led Oklahoma is passing last year with the lowest yardage total since Jake Sills' 1998 mark in the final season of the John Blake era. Arnold struggled mightily, that's for sure, but he and the rest of the offense were hampered by having Seth Littrell at the controls. He was fired after just seven games. The duo of Joe Jon Finley and Kevin Johns finished out the season but didn't fare much better. Mateer and Arbuckle provide familiarity with each other and proof of concept, two things Arnold and Littrell did not have. Advantage, 2025 Sooners. But while those two moves are massive, they aren't the only changes that have Pate excited about what OU can be this year. "They got maybe the best tailback in the country that was available from Cal," Pate said. That would, of course, be Jaydn Ott, the biggest addition for the Sooners in the spring portal window. He was banged up in 2024, but his 2023 campaign has Oklahoma fans imagining what he can do in the backfield alongside Mateer. The Sooners have had to go running back by committee since Eric Gray moved on to the NFL, and have the pieces to do so again this year. But Ott provides a player that is capable of being a game-changer when he's healthy. Speaking of game-changers, Pate is excited about a player that OU is getting back from injury this season as well. "You remember this time last year, we were talking about Deion Burks out of Purdue," Pate said. "He got hurt last year and so he wasn't the impact player we thought he'd be. But he still has that potential. And so he's there, they added a starting OT like we talked about, added two other defensive starters." Burks' decision to come back for one more year of football, and to do it in Norman, was a big boost for Venables and his staff. If he's healthy, he can be the No. 1 target that Mateer and Arbuckle will need him to be. Pate also recognized the job Venables has done in high school recruiting and in the transfer portal since taking over in December of 2021, which means that the talent is there in a lot of places on the roster for Oklahoma. "This is a program that has stacked top 10 recruiting classes and portal classes on top of each other," Pate said. "They've got an incredibly difficult schedule this year. But they could also be a College Football Playoff team this year." Are there holes on the depth chart for the 2025 Oklahoma Sooners? Sure, there are. But last December, Venables and the coaching staff headed into an offseason when changes absolutely had to happen after a dismal showing in 2024. While the roster isn't perfect, so many of the problem areas have been addressed and improved in the last five months. But only time will tell whether Venables' moves will pay off this fall.
USA Today
01-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Brent Venables tells Josh Pate why he's calling Oklahoma defense
Brent Venables tells Josh Pate why he's calling Oklahoma defense Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables is taking over the defensive play-calling ahead of a pivotal 2025 season. After former defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Zac Alley left for a raise and the same role at West Virginia, Venables pursued former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, but OU ultimately lost out to Penn State. So, Venables decided to hire Nate Dreiling to coach the inside linebackers and Wes Goodwin as outside linebackers coach/assistant linebackers coach, and call the plays himself. Venables landed his current job after successful stints as a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma (1999 to 2011) and Clemson (2012-2021). He was the co-defensive coordinator on the 2000 OU team that won the national championship and the defensive coordinator for both the 2016 and 2018 title runs at Clemson. In a sit-down interview with Josh Pate, who hosts "Josh Pate's College Football Show," Venables further explained why he decided to call the plays, something not many head coaches in college football do anymore. "Instinctively, that's a very natural space for me," Venables said. "I've got a great staff that several of us have been together for a long time, so there's a deep understanding of how we do what we do. I've got my fingerprints all over the whole defense, always have, always will." Venables, who called plays as the DC from 2004 to 2021, is one of the best in the business when it comes to managing a defense. He knows he's entering a crucial year, so he made the choice to take that responsibility himself. Despite the defense really always belonging to Venables, his staff features some excellent coaches, such as co-defensive coordinators Todd Bates and Jay Valai, as well as a former Troy defensive coordinator Brandon Hall and a young up-and-comer in Miguel Chavis. They'll help the head coach throughout the week and on game day. "Why trust a first-time play caller at Oklahoma more than me?" Venables said. "For a long time, I was a play-caller here and in college football, and it was a very comfortable space for me, but I've got a tremendous staff." Venables also revealed in his interview with Pate that he was the one calling the defense in 2023, when the Sooners went 10-3. Former defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Ted Roof (who called the plays in 2022) was in his second and final season in Norman that year, and rumors swirled all season about who was actually on the headset and had the final say on play calls when the opposition had the ball. Turns out, it was Venables all along, so being a head coach and calling defensive plays isn't new to him in 2025 . "Two years ago (2023) I called it," Venables said. "We won 10 games. We lost two one-score games on the road. If we make a field goal in one of them, we play Texas again for the Big 12 Championship, and a chance to go to the Playoff, so whatever we did that year was pretty decent. Not good enough, but it was decent." Roof, who was the DC for the first two years of the Venables era, left after the 2023 season, and Alley was hand-picked to replace him. After a season calling the shots at OU, Alley decided to join his former boss Rich Rodriguez in Morgantown. That's paved the way for Venables to take back play-calling duties in a prove-it season for the fourth-year head coach.
