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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
DALLAS — As Oklahoma makes its entrance into the SEC, third-year coach Brent Venables has not wavered in his vision of having a dominant defense. But he admitted Tuesday the growing pains in getting there have not been fun.
Venables, who spent the bulk of his career as a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and then Clemson before becoming the Sooners’ head coach, made his name with his relentless, aggressive defenses setting the tone year in and year out. While the Sooners made strides in getting there last season, Venables said in Year 3 the time has come to “vehemently defend the standard.”
“I can sit here and say oh, it’s been a lot of fun to build the roster and build the defense and get better,” Venables said. “I certainly recognize the improvement where it’s taken place, but none of it’s been fun. It’s been really hard, but you’ve had a clear vision for what you want.”
Venables explained that when he took the job after the 2021 season, Oklahoma lost 40 defensive players in the first 15 months.
“I don’t feel like the roster was set up to sustain those losses,” he said.
As a result, Oklahoma struggled on defense in 2022, ranking in the bottom 10 in the country in allowing 461 yards per game. Last season, the Sooners improved in many areas — ranking No. 2 in the nation in interceptions, for example.
But Venables said the group was simply too inconsistent. Players cited giving up too many big plays and missing too many tackles. Now, with the heart of his defense returning, including safety Billy Bowman and linebacker Danny Stutsman, the expectation is for vast improvement.
“There’s no other option,” Bowman said.
Stutsman said one of the biggest reasons he decided to return to school was a phone call with Venables, who talked at length about finishing out with a stellar senior season. Add to that Oklahoma’s entrance into the SEC, and Stutsman feels there is a lot on the line for the defense in 2024.
When told his teammates said this year’s defense will be much better, he said, “I would hope so,” with a laugh.
The reason?
“It’s my last year,” he said.
“When you look at how much it means — the fans that are so supportive of myself — you know how big this is for them,” Stutsman said. “We go in the SEC one time. There’s going to be no first season in the SEC again.”
That, of course, leads to the heart of the question surrounding Oklahoma as it heads into its new conference home. Will it be good enough to compete for a playoff spot in the deepest conference in the country?
“What Oklahoma has done in the years of being in college football, it is very prestigious,” Bowman said. “We’ve beaten plenty of SEC teams. What’s the difference now? It’s going to be a challenge though. It will be. I’m not going to sit here and not say that it won’t be. We’re looking forward to it.”
And a lot of that starts with the defense. Venables noted through recruiting and the transfer portal — where the Sooners have bulked up on the defensive line — the unit is starting to look the way he wants. There is competitive depth now and talent across the board.
More than that, Venables believes players have taken ownership, understanding there is a specific mindset as it relates to toughness and developing standards. But he also acknowledges there is still plenty left to do.
“My vision is a dominant defense, dominant defensive culture that has legs and has people like Danny, like Billy,” Venables said. “You remember defenses because of those people, those jersey numbers — not because of the Sooners. That’s what I’m dreaming for.”
