Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables Praises Special Teams Performance During Camp

Kickers Zach Schmit and Tyler Keltner both graduated after the 2024 season, so OU turned to the portal to reinforce the position.

The Sooners signed Austin Welch from Kennesaw State in December. As a redshirt sophomore for the Owls, Welch made his first 11 kicks of the 2024 season, four of which came from longer than 40 yards. He ended the year 14-of-18 on field-goal attempts and hit a career-long 49-yard field goal against UT-Martin.

A few months later, OU added another kicker from the portal: UTSA transfer Tate Sandell.

Sandell went 19-for-23 on field goals with the Roadrunners in 2024 and earned Honorable Mention All-AAC honors. He made a career-long 54-yard attempt against Memphis, and three of his four misses on the season came on attempts longer than 50 yards.

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Both of the kickers have impressed Venables throughout fall camp.

“We hit a 58-yarder in the scrimmage, and another, like, a 55-yarder as well,” Venables said. “And I haven’t said that in the past, where we’ve made those long field goals because we haven’t.”

Sandell has taken the majority of first-team reps during fall camp. But according to Venables, the starting spot hasn’t been solidified.

“I think it’s fair to say (it’s a competition),” Venables said.

Other specialists

In addition to the two kickers that OU signed from the portal, the Sooners also snatched transfer punter Jacob Ulrich from Kennesaw State.

Ulrich was the Owls’ starting punter a year ago. He averaged 45.4 yards per punt, which led Conference USA and was 12th nationally. The punter pinned opponents within the 20-yard line 27 times and exceeded 50 yards on 23 of his punts.

Ulrich replaces Luke Elzinga, who started each of the last two seasons for the Sooners.

“Punting has been good,” Venables said. “We did a good job in some of our pooch situations, and backed up coming out of our own end zone, we were able to flip the field several times that we’ve worked on that situation as well.”

In the return game, wide receiver Isaiah Sategna — an Arkansas transfer — is expected to see plenty of reps.

Sategna played three seasons for the Razorbacks. In 2023, Sategna returned 15 punts for 180 yards and a touchdown and also logged 500 yards on kickoff returns. His role in the return game was smaller in his final season at Arkansas, as Sategna fielded only 10 punts and three kickoffs.

Long snapper Ben Anderson returns to OU for his redshirt junior season, too. He earned third-team All-SEC honors last year, handling the Sooners’ snapping duties on kicks and punts.

Across the board, Venables is confident that Oklahoma’s special teams group will be one of the best in the SEC.

“I love the group of players that (special teams coach Doug Deakin) and the rest of the staff (get to work with), what we have to work with from protection, our coverage units,” Venables said. “It’s been good.”