Watch: Brent Venables Post-Spring Wrap-Up

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables spoke to the media following the Sooners’ spring game, expressing excitement about the team’s progress, the energy around the program, and the foundation being built ahead of the 2025 season.

General Takeaways

Venables opened by praising the fans and the energy they brought:

“A fun day that was. I’d like to just tell again, I thought our fans were fantastic today. Just a wonderful day… It’s been a really fun spring.”

He credited the coaching staff and players for maintaining high energy and passion throughout spring practices:

“Our guys showed up with the right attitude and mindset all spring… we got a lot accomplished.”

Player Development & Injuries

Venables was encouraged by both returning veterans and the 34 new faces in the program:

“Older guys showed up with something to prove, and the young guys were hungry... they didn’t get overwhelmed.”

He addressed a few key injuries:

1. Javonnie Gibson suffered a broken leg but is expected back for the season opener.
2. Kendel Dolby was held out of spring, though healthy, to allow full recovery.
3. Peyton Bowen (turf toe) and Gentry Williams were also held out as precautionary moves.

Offensive Progress

Venables praised the new offensive staff, particularly OC and QB coach Ben Arbuckle, and highlighted the rapid development of the unit:

“You’d never have known it was their first spring together. The rhythm, installation, and confidence—they were ahead of schedule.”

On quarterback play:

“Michael Hawkins made more progress these last few weeks than all of last year. Cole Gonzalez can really play and spin it.”

He also highlighted the offensive line:

“This may be the best offensive line group we’ve had in my time here—maybe not in experience, but in ability and depth.”

Defensive Growth

Though the defense loses key leaders like Billy Bowman and Danny Stutsman, Venables noted several defenders stepped up:

1. Gracen Halton emerged as a vocal and passionate leader.
2. R Mason Thomas had his best stretch of football yet.
3. Young talent like David Stone, Trent Wilson, Marcus Strong, and Danny Okoye all made strides.
4. PJ Adebawore has stayed healthy and is playing with noticeable confidence.

“We’ve got to be great up the middle—and I’m not sure if we are yet. But I love the trajectory of that group.”

Culture & Leadership

A major focus this spring was building relationships across the roster and staff:

“If you want your players to be close, your staff needs to reflect that. I thought our coaches did a really good job of that.”



Portal, Roster, and Recruiting

With the transfer portal reopening, Venables emphasized a targeted approach:

“We’re looking at every position… but the goal is only to add guys who can make us better immediately.”

He praised GM Jim Nagy for leading the evaluation process and getting his team in place:

“The staff’s hungry to improve in this space. I really feel we have the resources, the vision, and the leadership.”

On roster management and the portal:

“Retention is the most important part… You want guys that have been here 3–5 years. Ideally, you want a roster that’s 75-25 high school to portal.”

Final Thoughts

Venables is energized by the team’s cohesion and the progress they've made:

“We threw and caught the ball as well as we have since I’ve been here. Very few balls on the ground all spring. It was a good spring—now it’s about taking the next step this summer.”