Current Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield recently conveyed his thoughts on Sooners head coach Brent Venables ahead of a crucial 2025 campaign. The Sooners finished 6-7 last season and its widely regarded that Venables is on the hot seat. What did the former Sooners quarterback have to say about Venables?
In an interview at his annual Youth Football Camp in Norman, Oklahoma, Mayfield admitted that he still has faith in Venables despite a rough few seasons at the helm during this tenure thus far.
“I have a lot of faith in coach V [Venables], defense was great last year, obviously that’s the standard he sets tough, hard-nosed guys that hustle to the ball and he’s going to carry that on, so I have a lot of faith in him”, Mayfield said.
The Sooners had yet another underwhelming campaign last season under the leadership of Venables. Oklahoma finished with just six wins for the second time in three seasons. Yes, the Sooners defense was solid last season, like Mayfield said, as it ranked sixth in the SEC in total defense, but that wasn’t enough to put the number of wins on the board that Oklahoma expects.
The Sooners offense struggled mightily, as it ranked 14th out of 16 Southeastern Conference teams in total offense. Oklahoma’s rushing attack averaged just 3.9 yards per rush in 2024, however that can be chalked up to an injury-riddled offensive line.
Now, Venables will have former Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer under center along with new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, who has been working with Mateer over the past two seasons at Washington State.
The 2025 season is a critical year for Venables as the Sooners enter their second season in the Southeastern Conference. If Oklahoma produces another mediocre campaign, it is likely Venables won’t be on the sidelines by the time 2026 rolls around.
According to 247Sports, the Sooners will have the toughest schedule in the nation with a projected eight ranked opponents. The tough slate kicks off against Michigan in week 2 followed by a brutal stretch in October with matchups against Texas, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Mayfield was a walk-on at Oklahoma in 2014 but didn’t start until the 2015 season. Throughout his three-year tenure as a starter, Mayfield finished in the top four in Heisman voting twice before winning the coveted award in 2017. Mayfield led the Sooners to three College Football Playoff appearances and was one of the most exciting players to watch in college football. He was the No.1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
