How Oklahoma will change in 2024 amid staff changes
Last year, Oklahoma put together an impressive bounce-back year in the second season of Brent Venables’ tenure. As the Sooners make the move to the SEC, though, they’re undergoing some changes – and they could take on a new look as a result.
Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is now the head coach at Mississippi State and defensive coordinator Ted Roof left the program after the 2023 season. Oklahoma then hired Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley as co-offensive coordinators, and brought Zac Alley aboard as defensive coordinator to replace them. With new voices in charge on both sides of the ball, it’s worth wondering just how different the Sooners will look in 2024.
To Sooner Scoop’s George Stoia III and Eddie Radosevich, the biggest transformation could come on offense as OU moves from Lebby’s spread scheme to Littrell’s Air Raid.
“Defensively, they’re gonna look the same, I think for the most part,” Stoia told Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3. “Now, I do think that they’ve gotten more talent when you look at the class that they’re bringing in, as well as some of the players that they got through the transfer portal and you bring in a Zac Alley, who’s going to be co-defensive coordinator. We’ll see if he’s actually calling plays. He’s a Brent Venables guy, so they’re not going to be changing up a whole lot defensively. Offensively, I do think you can see some change.
“You have a new quarterback in Jackson Arnold, we’ve talked a lot about him. What does he look like next season in this Seth Littrell offense that is Air Raid vs. what they were running last year, which was the spread, under Jeff Lebby. And also, a totally rebuilt offensive line. They’re having to replace several guys that are going to the NFL Draft. … So really, you’re replacing pretty much your entire offensive line next year, and you have a whole new offensive system. So I think that’s the side of the ball where you’re going to see the biggest difference.”
As Oklahoma moves into the SEC, winning in the trenches is going to be important. With so much turnover on the offensive line, though, it’ll be worth seeing how the Sooners handle the pressure from opposing defenses and protect Arnold.
“The most interesting thing, too, with the 2024 edition of what Oklahoma will be is when you look at both sides of the football – whether it be defensive side, which should be one of the better defenses that was put on the field, at least on paper, in the last decade or so. Along with you know, Jackson Arnold and what he’s inheriting in terms of skill position talent, they’re an extremely talented football team,” Radosevich said. “It’s just … how’s that question on the offensive line going to be answered?
“Certainly, on the defensive line perspective and especially with their stepping into and the SEC, I think everybody around here knows that those two units are going to have to be extremely, extremely good if you want to make that jump into whatever that elite level is.”