The Oklahoma Sooners haven’t had a great time in their inaugural year in the Southeastern Conference.
Oklahoma, along with the Texas Longhorns, left the Big 12 over the summer for the SEC’s greener pastures. They are 5-5 on the season and a dismal 1-5 in SEC play.
Quarterback woes have plagued head coach Brent Venables and the Sooners, who have bounced between Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr at the position this season. The Sooners are averaging 183.3 passing yards per game, third-worst in the SEC.
Making things worse for Oklahoma is the fact that they still are a win away from bowl eligibility. The Sooners play the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers to close the season, and if they can’t pick up a victory, they’ll miss a bowl game for the first time this century.
Despite the dreadful season, Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr and athletic director Joe Castiglione pledged their support of Venables after a board of regents meeting.
“What’s unwavering is the commitment to him. This is a new era for us, but it’s also a new era for college athletics, and there’s going to be a lot of adjustment, and there’s going to be a lot that takes place. As far as my commitment to coach Venables, it’s 100 percent,” Harroz said via ESPN.
As for Castiglione, the man who hired Venables and has been Oklahoma’s athletic director since 1998, he says that while the season is below Oklahoma’s standard, he thinks Venables can turn it around.
“Obviously, the season thus far has not gone as we’d hoped or planned, We’re mindful that we haven’t met the Oklahoma standard for 2024. That said, we truly believe in coach Venables and our team and are completely focused on both supporting them and looking at all of the ways to address the needed improvements now as soon as possible as well as in preparation for next year,” Castiglione said.
As On3’s Pete Nakos reported earlier this week, Venables has a hefty buyout that could also give the Sooners pause in deciding his future. The buyout after this season is roughly $45 million, dropping by roughly $9 million over each of the next five seasons.
The Sooners will look to use this week’s bye as a chance to get right and refocus before hosting Alabama on November 23.
