David Pollack Names Major College Football Coach Facing Make-or-Break Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Apr 20, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The 2025 college football season is set to be critical for several coaches, especially those who experienced disappointing campaigns in 2024. Some teams have either continued to struggle or failed to build on earlier promise shown in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners are among those teams that faltered. They recorded a 6-7 record in 2024, marking the second losing season in head coach Brent Venables' three-year tenure. His first losing season was in 2022, also with a 6-7 record. However, he managed to bounce back with a strong 10-3 season in 2023.

Now, Oklahoma is looking to rebound after suffering its second losing season since 1999. David Pollack, on his podcast "See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack," emphasized that this upcoming 2025 season is a make-or-break year for Venables as he leads the program.

"I think everybody knows that," Pollack said. "The problem is, the schedule is not going to be fun. I think this team could be really, really, really, really, really improved, really good, and win eight games. I know that sounds bad, but they were 2-6 in SEC play last year."

Athlon Sports' Kyle Wood has ranked the Oklahoma Sooners with the second-most difficult schedule in college football. They have a challenging non-conference matchup at home against the Michigan Wolverines and a tough road conference schedule that includes games against the South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and a neutral-site game against the Texas Longhorns.

Significant changes occurred in Norman during the offseason. Coach Brent Venables fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell during the previous season, when the Sooners finished with a disappointing No. 113 ranking in total offense. Additionally, quarterback Jackson Arnold announced his transfer to the Auburn Tigers.

Venables brought in Ben Arbuckle, previously the offensive coordinator at Washington State, to revamp the offense. Under Arbuckle's leadership, the Cougars ranked No. 17 in offensive performance. Oklahoma also secured Arbuckle's quarterback from Washington State, John Mateer, via the transfer portal. Mateer had an impressive season with 3,139 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, along with 826 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.

The Sooners also experienced a change on the defensive side, as defensive coordinator Zac Alley left to join West Virginia. Venables announced that he would be taking over play-calling duties for the upcoming season. During his tenure as a defensive coordinator, he helped lead Oklahoma to a national championship and the Clemson Tigers to two national championships.

If the season doesn't go as planned, Venables has a buyout set at $34.9 million. However, both he and Oklahoma's administration are hopeful that they will not need to part ways after the season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: