All eyes are on star transfer QB John Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to turn things around for the Oklahoma Sooners this season.
There is, however, another dynamic duo brewing things behind the scenes in Norman to set the stage for the OC-QB tandem: Head coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy.
Just as Nagy took over the front office, Venables got the helping hand he needed to build a roster good enough for a comeback.
"The addition of Jim in that front office has allowed me not to have to worry as much. You’re still involved a little bit. But the resource allocation, the talent retention, the talent acquisition, the talent evaluation. Between putting together a staff and then dealing with both the ‘26 class and moving forward, it has been a lot of fun developing trust in the relationships," Venables divulged during the SEC Media Day.
The relationship is already proving fruitful for the Sooners as their head coach boasted about several things that went right, just the way they wanted them to, with Nagy handling the front office.
"From a talent retention, we just smashed it, I feel like, for what we were able to keep. I know everybody can see, ‘OK, what was lost?’ What we were able to keep was where we put a lot of time. I think that was the most important piece of the roster structure and what we have going into the ‘25 season," Venables said.
There will be some things that Nagy and Venables will later smooth out, sure, but things look hopeful given the dire situation of the Sooners lately.
Venables is one of the top names on the hot seat list heading into the 2025 season, making a winning season an absolute imperative for the Sooners.
That said, there is little doubt that they will have much difficulty in putting up a winning record, given the work the HC-GM duo has done this off-season, especially in recruiting.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that shortly after the overhaul of the front office and subsequent changes, Oklahoma's 2026 recruiting class started popping off. While the Sooners haven't reeled in five-stars to jumpstart their class to the top ten once more, they've built inroads and picked up commitments from key players and upside prospects as they right the ship from their 2024 season," AJ Schulte of A to Z Sports explains.
We'll see how well Mateer and Arbuckle hold up to their end of expectations in 2025.