The Oklahoma football program took leaps forward under second-year head coach Brent Venables this season, but an entirely new challenge awaits them next fall. The Sooners, alongside rival Texas, will head to the SEC for the 2024 season, breaking a longtime arrangement with the Big 12. The SEC remains the top conference in football, housing powerhouses Georgia and Alabama, among others, winning four of the last five College Football Playoff National Championships.
However, the Sooners, one player in particular, is ready for the challenge. Five-star signee and running back Taylor Tatum spoke to Oklahoma Insider Parker Thune during the All-American Bowl last weekend and, among many things, shared his thoughts on OU’s switch to the SEC.
Oklahoma Sooners RB Taylor Tatum: Gearing up for Program’s Transition to SEC
When pressed about Oklahoma’s change at offensive coordinator and realignment with the SEC, Tatum said, “I’m very confident. Obviously, we had a good defense this year, too, so all around the team — offense, defense, O-line, D-line — everything looked better than it did last year. So now that we’re headed off to the SEC, we got a good recruiting class this year, and I know Coach Venables is gonna bring in some guys from the transfer portal. So I’m just ready to get to that SEC and show that Oklahoma can compete with some of the big dawgs.”
The Sooners lost offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to Mississippi State, with the Bulldogs hiring him as their next head coach. Lebby, alongside quarterback Dillon Gabriel, posted monster numbers this season, with both leaving for different programs. The Sooners have hired Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley as the next playcallers. Littrell joined the Oklahoma football program as an offensive assistant last season after seven years leading the North Texas Mean Green. Meanwhile, Finley coached tight ends.
Taylor continued, “We’re all pretty tight. We all have the same goals. We’re all hungry for the SEC. Being the first recruiting class in the SEC means something to us. We want to go and take it over. And you know, it’s obviously going to be hard. There are no more easy games. You’re in the SEC; every team’s pretty good. So we’re just ready to go in and be competitive as soon as we get there.”
Taylor, a consensus five-star recruit, is the highest-rated running back prospect to sign with the Sooners since Joe Mixon in 2014. Taylor will play under former Sooners legend and current running backs coach DeMarco Murray.
Oklahoma Football: Expectations for 2024
“The sky is literally not even the ceiling. We’re going to go above and beyond. This is no SEC championship [program]. This is a national championship [program]. We want national championships over here. So we’re ready for it,” said incoming freshman Taylor Tatum regarding where head coach Brent Venables can take the Sooners.
Venables took over Oklahoma in 2022 with bench boss Lincoln Riley and star quarterback Caleb Williams heading west to USC. Venables struggled in his inaugural campaign, with the Sooners posting their first losing season since 1998, their last before the Bob Stoops era. However, Venables and company orchestrated a quick turnaround this season, going 10-3 and posting 41.7 points per game, the fourth-highest mark in the NCAA. The defensive improvements were equally significant, allowing 23.5 points per game, a near-touchdown decrease from the previous seasons.
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