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Oklahoma is heading into its second year of competing in the SEC. With that, OUInsider spent the last week covering the heralded SEC Media Day event.
So what stood out from Monday through Wednesday last week? What are some well-connected sources adding to what we were told by the Sooners’ attendees as far as how things have gone this off-season, along with who they feel will step up and be contributors in 2025?
Here are five things that were the most interesting or funniest at SEC Media Days, along with some very, very informative and in-depth sourced team notes and quotes on the Sooners’ Team 131 heading into fall camp.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian (hilariously) comes out to the Texas A&M War Hymn:
Of all the things that could have happened, it happened to Texas, and it was pretty funny. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey gave his usual speech of accolades, leading up to a coach like Steve Sarkisian taking the podium. As they make their way to shake Commissioner Sankey’s hands, the school (of whatever school is taking the podium) fight song is played.
In this event, the person running the audio decided to play or click on the A&M fight song ( I can’t do it anymore and call it a ‘war hymn.’ Changing two words with the identical meanings doesn’t change the fact that it’s still your fight song, A&M fans). Of course, it instantly made its rounds on X/Twitter, but if you missed it here it is:
Yes, it was diabolically hilarious. Yes, Sarkisian didn’t flinch because I am not sure he even noticed — nor do I believe he cared. Still, this was a move that only teams deeply entrenched in rivalry can be upset and happy about (that includes OU, given their deep-seated hatred for Texas) — depending on your side of the aisle when it comes to your fandom.
Sarkisian ended his time in the main media room by saying his usual “Hook ’em.” Maybe that tempered the brutal gaffe made by whoever was running the sound. Perhaps it didn’t. Either way, it was a gloriously funny moment.
On a side note, think about Brent Venables walking up to “Eyes of Texas” and how he might have reacted. Something tells me he wouldn’t have been as judicious as Sark, and you all would have loved him for it. Everyone knows that competitive fire doesn’t just turn off with him so quickly. It’s also why he was voted the head coach that would win in a fight vs every other head coach in the SEC: a total talking season and off-season poll.
Rivalries and college football are great, no matter how screwed up the system is at the moment, and this gaffe solidified that, in my opinion.
Quarterbacks — including the Sooners’ John Mateer — are superstars and the SEC is LOADED at that position, making it very difficult to name the top three on my All-SEC ballots
Whether it was Diego Pavia, Jackson Arnold, Arch Manning, DJ Lagway, or John Mateer, it was clear as day that QB is the most important and popular position in all of football — and arguably all of sports, period. The crowds of media that surrounded the more notable QBs were something to behold.
Oddly enough, the fact that the SEC had South Carolina and LSU on day one nullified what we all believed would have been huge scrums with LaNorris Sellers (eUSC) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU). The issue there was that the majority of the media covering the event showed up that day as the two respective SEC schools were in the midst of their Media Day rounds.
No matter how you slice it, the SEC is LOADED with an amazing amount of talented QBs. So much so that it was hard for me to fill out my top three QBs in the SEC: The two named in the paragraph above (Sellers and Nussmeier) were named first and second-team All-SEC.
No one can argue against those two being picked at all. Both are deserving, and I rotated a few back and forth as I came to my final conclusion to vote (in this order) DJ Lagway (Florida), John Mateer (Oklahoma), and Arch Manning (Texas) as my first, second, and third-team All-SEC QBs. Again, that is not to say that I don’t think Diego Pavia, LaNorris Sellers, Garrett Nussmeier, Jackson Arnold, Gunner Stockton, Marcel Reed, and Taylor Green can’t also be in that range. Every one of those QBs has a chance to play at the next level and has enormous talent.
On the same subject matter, I was asking our OUInsider group text when the last time there was a conference with this QB position that talented and that deep? My first thought was 2015, the Big 12, or 2008 or 2009, the Big 12. All three were among the more competitive QB conferences that I can remember — though there is an argument to be made for the 2018 SEC and the 2019 Big 12. Both had the likes of Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Drew Locke, Jarrett Stidham, Joe Burrow, Sam Ehlinger, Brock Purdy, and more (maybe you can jog my memory of deeper years in conferences in the comments).
But with the 2025 iteration of the SEC and its QB depth, that depth should make for some exciting football in the SEC and some nightmares for the defensive coordinators in the league.
2B: Oklahoma and their QB John Mateer have ‘experts’ feeling the Sooners could stir some stuff up come this fall:
The good news is that OU has one of the more talented and experienced quarterbacks in John Mateer, along with Michael Hawkins as his backup. That is a far cry from the depth and experience Oklahoma lacked in that room at the start of 2024, and national pundits alike have taken notice of the Sooners having a new signal-caller.
The Athletic named their’ Top 136 Starting QBs in College Football’ and ranked the Sooners’ lead man, John Mateer, at number four overall.
“His speed and elusiveness jump off the tape, but heʼs no slouch as a passer. Coaches we spoke with were nearly universal in their praise, and expectations are high for Mateer, even as he steps into the rugged SEC.” – Sam Khan Jr. and Antonio Morales, The Athletic.
Mateer was third overall in the SEC behind LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers in their rankings. The OU QB was, naturally, the top-ranked transfer QB.
Then you add what Fox Sports’ Tim Brando said about John Mateer and the Sooners on his appearance with “Crain and Company” (link for the video/audio) the other day. Brando came out swinging, and you can see that the buzz and proverbial hot pick is now the Sooners when it comes to SEC dark horses for 2025.
“Now, when you bring your offensive coordinator (Ben Arbuckle) with a guy like John Mateer, you’re talking about an instant difference-maker. Absolute, instant difference-maker. As good as Arch Manning is gonna be. And as wildly excited as Texas fans are, and I, too, believe that the Horns are playoff-worthy, I do believe that, even with the schedule, which is a detriment. Schedule is hard, very hard for them this year. Not as hard as Oklahoma’s last year, but hard. Oklahoma is a team that can beat them in the Red River Rivalry.”
The longtime sportscaster and play-by-play announcer, Brando, continued about the Sooners and Mateer.
“John Mateer is that good. And with [Ben] Arbuckle with him, this guy, you talk about humble beginnings and understanding where he is in his journey. I was as impressed with him. I saw a lot of those guys at Wazzu, a lot of them. And (Mateer) is, to me, as much of a difference-maker for Oklahoma as Cam Ward was for Miami a year ago. We’re talking about a Heisman candidate. In my opinion, and a guy that if Arch Manning doesn’t have the year we all think he’s going to have, it’ll be because John Mateer lapped him because Mateer was a huge star. And at a place like Oklahoma, it won’t take long for people to jump on the Sooner bus when they see how good this kid is.“
Again, that was such a strong statement by Brando. But those two quotes are just a few in a long line of glowing statements about OU and Mateer heading into the 2025 season. Those types of statements are also why so many (outside of the local media types that voted at the SEC Media Days) have the Sooners as their darkhorse to potentially make the 2025 CFB Playoffs.
As a result, this 2025 iteration of Oklahoma feels a bit different from last year. Again, the Sooners are the hot pick for many national media outlets. They have a lot of experience returning from that injury-plagued 6-7 team in 2024, with 85% of the production back for Oklahoma. However, talking season is about done. And in nine days from now (the day this was published), the Sooners get to work with fall camp kicking off. That’s when Brent Venables, Ben Arbuckle, and John Mateer get to show everyone why they are the team everyone feels can spoil the party for the SEC preseason top picks in 2025.
Brent Venables talks TEs and how that position has transformed in 2025, along with some insider intel on the position as well
We have talked over and over about the thinking on former OU TE — and now LSU TE — Bauer Sharp since he arrived in Norman last year. Sharp had some ups and downs as a Sooner, and the expectations that came with his arrival likely put more pressure on him than what was probably warranted. However, Sharp is now with the Bayou Bengals in Baton Rouge. And from all accounts, he’s been exactly what those who watched him behind the scenes always thought he would be so far.
So when Sooners’ head coach Brent Venables was asked about the TE room in Norman — during an SEC Media Scrum with local media — there wasn’t much of a shock when Venables led everything by propping up the former OU tight end, while also making it abundantly clear that they didn’t want to see him leave Norman.
“I really like the group of guys. I know we had some opinions about Bauer Sharp – that he wasn’t a really good player. He’s a really good player, everybody will see it,” Venables said of the former OU tight end who now dons an LSU jersey. “He was one of our best leaders. It is what it is – not a soapbox, sad to see him go.”
As for the Sooners’ tight end room in 2025, there is a belief that it is more than capable of being a formidable part of Oklahoma and Ben Arbuckle’s offense.
A few sources have talked about the TE room, along with where it stands in the pecking order of things offensively, with one source adding, “Probably the most versatile tight end room that (OU) has had in several years, to be honest,” the source noted of the wide variety of skill sets the TE room encompasses this season. “Jaren [Kanak] might be one of the fastest TE OU has had in a long time. He and Carson [Kent] are just different with their ability to accelerate.”
The well-connected source went on about Kanak.
“[Jaren] Kanak isn’t the biggest, but he will be a problem with his speed and athleticism. He’s learning to run solid routes. Still working on his blocking, too, but being physical has never been a problem with him. It’s more hand placement and just being consistent with the little things in that phase of his game.”
Venables spoke highly of Kanak as well. The Sooners’ head coach said what most everyone believes to be the case, and that is the fact that Kanak’s versatility will allow him to play a multitude of roles for Coach [Ben] Arbuckle and the Sooners’ offense in 2025. Think a mix of former big-time H-back/TE’s like Jeremiah Hall and Brayden Willis.
Coach Venables put it a bit more vague, though.
“Jaren Kanak has been fantastic (this offseason),” the OU head man said of Kanak and his move to TE. “He’s a great leader, great worker. But he’s a really good football player. He’ll have a real role for us, I believe.”
Sources are also high on Kaden Helms over the last few months. I was also able to see Helms in person during the Sooners’ recruiting camp season, and just from a sheer body frame perspective, Helms looks the part. Multiple sources also stated that Helms is “coming into his own and getting his explosiveness back from the injuries that slowed him down the past few seasons.”
Coach Venables seemed to echo some of those sentiments on Helms when talking to the local media.
“Kaden Helms has had his best period of performance and being a player,” the Sooners head coach said of Helms’ offseason so far. “He’s been healthy the last several months. He’s really had a good, strong spring, had a great summer, needs a great fall camp so he can reach his potential for why we recruited him and why he came to Oklahoma.“
As for the rest of the TE room, there is some depth there that was sorely missing last season when you got away from Nate Roberts and Bauer Sharp. And the way BV spoke about that room, there seems to be more talent and the ability to do more things with that position.
BV also talked about three other newbies at TE that look to sure up that room and help OU and the offense this season.Starting with transfer Carson Kent, who, much like fellow TE Jaren Kanak, seems to have some uncharacteristic speed, for a TE, on him that could definitely cause potential matchup issues if Kent develops the rest of his game by August 30th.
“I think Carson Kent – he ran 21-something miles per hour. I’m really fired up because we have a better team; tight ends are a great example of that. We have a team that has made real progress in the weight room,” Venables said of the Sooners’ TE room and overall improvement in the S&C room. “Losing body fat, gaining muscle mass, and all the sport science data from where guys started, so we’re faster. I won’t bore you with all the details. Our acceleration numbers are better. A lot of ways to quantify. I want to recognize work and progress, but Carson Kent has been great, well over 250 pounds, and a great leader.
Venables then spoke about another transfer tight end in Will Huggins, along with freshman athlete (a TE for now)Trynae Washington.
“Will Huggins, another big, long guy who can run with a nice catch radius, amongst others. Trynae Washington – never played tight end — so the transition — we really love what his future looks like. He might be a linebacker or defensive end when it’s all said and done. He’s a big dude that’s instinctive, good football player,” Venables said of the two new TEs on the Sooners’ roster. “That’s where we have him right now. Not sure if I’m missing anybody else. It is a group that looks completely different. How many catches this group have to carry over? Four? Four. There ya go, can only get better.“
Who are the players to watch for this season that Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables — and the trio that attended the SEC Media Days — feel have a chance to make an impact in 2025:
Oklahoma will need to have some major impact from newcomers and returnees alike if they really want to make a splash and improve on the 6-7 season that took place last year. The good news is that the youthful talent is there, with 85% of the production returning from 2024. Add in a stellar transfer portal class — headlined by QB John Mateer and RB Jadyn Ott — and you have a team that is positioned to make that proverbial splash very soon.
But who are the players that could help change the Sooners’ fortunes? We discuss that, with some sourced quotes accompanying bits and pieces throughout…
First, I was able to get a question in during the main room media portion of the SEC Media Days. I asked BV who he thought would be some young guys that could contribute in a big way this year, despite the Sooners having such a large group of players that return from the 2024 season.
Here was his answer:
Head coach Brent Venables: “Yeah, up front on offensive line, I would say a couple of the guys you’ll see a lot of Eddy Pierre-Louis, who didn’t get to campus until last summer. I think you’ll see Daniel Akinkunmi. I think you’ll see Mike Fasusi, Ryan Fodje, freshmen, offensive linemen that are mature beyond their years mentally and physically.”
That was the offensive side, but BV being a defensive coach at heart (and literally), you know he had more to say about that side of the ball.
“On the defensive side of the ball, I would think a few names that you may or may not know. Danny Okoye, pound for pound, might be the best athlete on our football team. I think Reggie Powers is also someone that has great position flexibility, plays a lot of different positions for us,” Venables said of a few young defensive standouts this spring and off-season. “Courtland Guillory, a young man from Houston that showed up on campus. A corner that loves to compete. That’s probably his best quality and trait. Long, super athletic. He loves to compete, shows up every day. He’s a dog. Plays with tremendous effort, lets you coach him hard. I love that about Courtland.”
And just when you thought Venables was done naming the young group of players they expect to contribute this year, the Sooners’ head coach continued on, saying, “Thinking out loud here. Inside, I think you’ll see a lot more of David Stone. Trent Wilson has had a really nice transition from high school, as well,” Venables said of the two uber-talented, young defensive tackles. “Then Omarion Robinson is a guy that got here in January that has tremendous range, great instincts, a natural safety as well. Those are the names that jump out at me right away. But the test of the season will tell.“
INSIDER-SOURCED QUOTES AND NOTES ON A FEW FROM STATEMENTS FROM ABOVE:
We have talked about freshman OL Michael Fasusi and sophomore Eddy Pierre-Louis quite a bit. It’s the Daniel Akinkunmi comment that had me a bit surprised, but when reaching out to a source about Akinkunmi, there were more positives gleaned his way.
“It was kind of funny, Coach [Brent] Venables called him ‘UK Dan’ in front of the media. I think everyone got a bit of a kick out of that,” the source said while laughing a bit. “But Akinkunmi has been focused this summer. He actually started to make some strong strides in the spring. He had a bump in the road with his injury last year, but his upside has always been pretty high. He’s working to reach it and has a chance to play some this year. He also genuinely loves it in Norman, and you can tell with how he has attacked things on a daily basis.“
Of course, freshman DB Courtland Guillory being named is also not a big surprise. All he does is compete each and every day, according to BV and numerous sources. One source I spoke with this past week continued the glowing praise of Guillory and his progress.
“Man, he is gonna play. You hope it’s just in rotation and that (OU) can remain injury-free this year, but if not, he would be the first guy not named Jacobe Johnson to likely go in with the rotation,” the source told OUInsider. “He’s been that good through spring and in skill and drills. Another is Jeremiah Newcombe. He has really upped his game over the last several months and seems to be putting in the necessary work.“
I asked the source when they realized Newcombe had taken the next step to be looked at as a potential rotation player. A source noted that it’s more his body transformation, but also said that his play early this summer in skills and drills turned some heads fast.
“He was picking dudes off from the start in skills and drills. Everyone could see he has a different level of confidence about him right now.”
As for Guillory, highly-touted safety Robert Spears-Jennings echoed similar things BV said about why the true freshman corner has a chance to play a lot this season.
“I feel like he just does a lot of things. Got a lot of freshmen that could mess up. So I thought he comes and attacks the workout, attacks the meetings, practices like a pro. Takes coaching very well. So I feel like he learns fast. That’s a big thing. Like a lot of freshmen, it’s hard for them to understand the terminology that we use, stuff like that. I feel like he learned very fast.”
So what was said via players and sources regarding the OU defensive line at and around the SEC Media Days, and how good can that unit be in 2025?
I will start with sophomore DT David Stone, who has a chance to really break out on the scene in 2025. Stone continues to get talked about by a lot of people within the Switzer Center. One source talked about the defensive line as a unit and its depth. All the while, the source added that Stone’s maturity has been a reason there is even more confidence in what that unit can be in 2025.
“(Stone) has taken a step or two in a positive direction with his maturity. Just the consistency in how he attacks his day-to-day workouts this off-season has been quite different,” the source told OUInsider. “He’s got more of a mission completion type of personality, where he has his goals and he is working to attain them. It’s not that he hasn’t always had that, but more just him being consistent and not letting outside or even some inside noises deter him from what he is trying to accomplish. Has even become more of a vocal leader in the workouts and skills and drills. All of that should show on the field this season.”
Also, when asked about what young players would play and be main contributors this year, Venables named Stone, saying, “Inside, I think you will see a lot more of David Stone.”
Venables also named another young DT in true freshman Trent Wilson, who gained close to 30lbs since arriving in Norman, adding, “Trent Wilson has had a nice transition from high school.”
Wilson arrived at OU around 270-275 and is now weighing in at 307lbs. Big news for the freshman trying to crack the game day rotation, and something a few sources feel could happen soon enough. One source explained, “Mature. Reminds some of how Jayden [Jackson] came in and just went to work and got after it,” the source said of Trent Wilson and the work he has put in since arriving in Norman. “You don’t put on the weight he has without being goal-driven and having specific things you’re working towards. A lot of freshmen struggle with that type of thing, but Trent [Wilson] really hasn’t. He has been all work.“
We have talked about DE Taylor Wein a lot this offseason. RMT publicly solidified what was said about Wein, Danny Okoye, and PJ Adebawore when asked about guys who will make big jumps this year.
Check out the DrummBeat earlier this month with a bunch more team notes: (405) Football – DrummBeat: Off-season team buzz | QB Room deep and talented? | Standout young CB turning heads? | DE surprise in 2025? | More
“PJ [Adebawore] and Taylor Wein. Those are two, for sure. They want it,” the Sooners’ 2024 sack leader told the media about the two young up-and-comers. “Taylor Wein wants it. You can tell. So I’m not gonna be surprised when y’all are talking about him in the media and whenever he gets five sacks and it’s, like, going crazy. It won’t be a surprise because obviously I see him every day, y’all don’t, so for him to be like that, that’s a recipe for success.“
As for redshirt freshman edge rusher Danny Okoye? RMT feels there might not be a player who could change the dynamics of the DE room more than Okaye.
“Danny has all of it. So when Danny gets this defense down and uses his skillset, it’s gonna be even crazier,” RMT said of Okoye. “Imagine what I just said, PJ, T-Wein, then you’ve got Danny, Marvin Jones, it’s like we’ve got experience altogether. So our D-line is just cold.”
Head coach [Brent] Venables seconded that statement on Okoye, and said, “Danny Okoye, pound for pound, might be the best athlete on our football team.“
You add both of those, with a source telling OUInsider that Okoye is the “biggest and most explosive freak on the defense,” and you can see why everyone with those Switzer Center walls wants to see the proverbial light bulb come on with the redshirt freshman DE.
But with all of that potential depth, just how good can the Sooners’ DL be in 2025? RMT seems to think it can be ‘really good,’ but that is up to him and the leadership crew on the DL. The sack master says that the older guys pushing the narrative of work and improving each and every day with the younger DL will be what makes the front reach its full potential.
“Our ceiling is high, and it all starts with our leadership coming from me, PJ [Adebawore], Damonic Williams, Gracen Halton; it all comes from that,” RMT said of how good the DL can be. “Our ceiling can be however high we want, and whatever we tolerate is what goes. Whatever we tolerate, that’s what the young guys are gonna tolerate. So, however we can nurture and facilitate our defensive line, our ceiling can be whatever it wants to be. And I think it can be really high.”
Lastly, the ‘iron sharpens iron’ mentality has also been a big reason for the Sooners’ DL improvements over the last few years — along with the ‘competitive depth,’ according to coaches, players, and sources we have spoken with over the last month or so.
The Sooners’ offense, seeing a resurgence, has not gone unnoticed with leaders of the defense like R Mason Thomas and Robert Spears-Jennings. RMT talked about why the offense is better with John Mateer at QB and Ben Arbuckle as the OC. In turn, he says it’s making the defense better when speaking to the media at SEC Media Days.
“Iron sharpens iron. (John Mateer) being at his best and me being at our best, it’s going to go back and forth. Him coming in like a pro is going to help me (learn) how to face other quarterbacks,” RMT said about them going at each other in practice.
RMT also made note of senior offensive tackle Jacob Sexton. That wasn’t too surprising, either, with sources I have talked with saying that Sexton and RMT have put in a lot of extra work together to refine each other’s skills. One source put it as “picking each other’s brains on how one stops the other and the other beats them when pass rushing. It’s been a lot of workshopping, if you will. Has helped both become better players this year.”
RMT was asked about that a bit during SEC Media Days and spoke about how things have improved with the offensive line, in particular Jacob Sexton, saying, “It’s always been hard. We’re going against each other every day, the offensive line knows what my go-to move is, and I know how they like to set. It looks a little different. Jacob Sexton, this will be my fourth year going against him. He changes stuff, I change stuff. It’s hard to win against guys you’ve been going against for three to four years.“
Latest on what we are hearing on Sooners’ WR unit heading into fall camp
Spoke to a source very recently about the Oklahoma WR unit and a few of the players in particular. One was, obviously, injured WR Javonnie Gibson. A source that I spoke with says that when JG is healthy, he is a sure-fire one or two as far as WRs go. They believe he is that good.
I also asked if they thought he could be ready by the start of the season — or at least early on. The source sheepishly just laughed and said, “He just might, but we will see. Lots to go through before you get to that point of knowing if a guy can play with 40 or more days until the start of the season.”
Remember, Brent Venables talked about Javonnie Gibson being out of his boot, but refrained from any more specifics outside of that, stating he will let us know when there’s more to know on the matter.
The other under talked about WR Isaiah Sategna is for OU. A source told OUInsider, “He will be utilized far more than most everyone expects,” the source said. “He has a good rapport with John [Mateer}, so don’t be shocked to see him making some big plays early and often.”
Obviously, freshman Elijah Thomas is always talked about but it was newly transferred WR Jer’Michael Carter that I was told a bit more information on.
“Dude competes. Can’t wait to see what he does in pads. If it’s anything like he gets after in skills and drills and workouts, I think he can help (OU) quite a bit this year.”
Finally, Deion Burks continues to be the guy who has the best and most consistent rapport with QB John Mateer. However, the injuries last year and his ability to stay healthy are still major questions for him.
“A bit of a TBD type of deal in what he will become. If Burks stays healthy, he can be one of the best in the SEC. He’s a freak of an athlete and a great playmaker. I don’t think anyone questions that. (OU) just needs him to stay on the field and available for Mateer,” a source relayed to OUInsider on Deion Burks.
*** Lots more to come as fall camp gets ready to kick into gear in a little over a week, but I wanted to get as much information as I could on the team leading up to it starting. Hope it was in-depth enough and informative enough that you all enjoyed it. Sorry for the length, but a lot I needed to get to for you all.