Brent Venables, Oklahoma Defense Receive Praise from Opposing SEC Players

Though Oklahoma’s first season as an SEC member didn’t go as planned, the Sooners’ defense presented opponents with new challenges.

OU coach Brent Venables is known as one of college football’s top defensive minds. He served as Clemson’s defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2021, helping the Tigers win two national championships before taking the head coach job in Norman.

“He’s a unique coach,” Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee said at SEC Media Days in Atlanta.

For most of the 2010s, Oklahoma’s identity was well-known: electric offense, minimal defense.

That narrative has flipped under Venables.

The Sooners have struggled to find the consistency that they once had with players like Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Hurts in their offense. Most recently, the Sooners finished No. 121 out of 134 FBS teams in passing offense, averaging 175.8 yards per game.

But the defense has been significantly better.

Oklahoma finished No. 121 nationally in total defense (461 yards allowed per game) in Venables’ first year, 2022. The Sooners improved to 77th (389.4) in 2023 before jumping to 19th (318.2) in 2024.

The upward trend has been the same in regards to scoring defense.

OU finished 29th in the nation last year in that category, allowing 21.5 points per game. The Sooners were 46th and 90th in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Lee, a sophomore for the Rebels in 2024, caught four passes for 59 yards against the Sooners. Oklahoma led Ole Miss 14-10 at halftime before the Rebels scored 16 unanswered points in the second half to win 26-14.

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While the wideout logged respectable numbers in the game and contributed to the Rebels’ win, he admitted that Venables’ defensive scheme made it tough for him and his offensive teammates early on.

“I felt like his defense starts with the defensive line and linebackers doing a lot of stunts,” Lee said. “A lot of scheming we had to do to just slide people here, slide the line left or right, add running backs, pick up different people. He’s a very smart, defensive-minded coach, so we had to watch out for that.”

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers didn’t have to play his best football to help his team win against OU.

The Gamecocks led the Sooners 21-0 in the first quarter, thanks to two early defensive touchdowns. Sellers, a redshirt freshman in 2024, completed 16 of his 24 pass attempts for 175 yards and a touchdown as the Gamecocks won 35-9 in Norman.

Even though Sellers and his team had a comfortable lead for most of the game, he noticed the challenges that Venables’ defense presents.

“They did a lot of different stuff, some stuff I've never seen before, just playing his defense,” Sellers said. “I knew their defense was good going into the game, even being at Clemson, just the record they had there. Then it was similar at Oklahoma, similar scheme, but a lot of — they were smart, they disguised well, they did stuff well. And they were physical as well.”

The Sooners now enter their second year in the SEC. Venables will now call OU’s defensive plays after 2024 defensive coordinator Zac Alley left for the same role at West Virginia in the offseason.

Oklahoma has now played an SEC game against all eight of its 2025 conference opponents — but Lee doesn’t expect that to make things any easier for the Rebels when they battle OU’s defense.

“He’s going to bring it every game, so we have to be ready,” Lee said. “I feel like you have to be prepared for that type of defense.”