No. 18 Oklahoma looks to rebound with new offensive coordinator and quarterback

By Canadian Press on August 19, 2025.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma has had two losing records and no bowl wins the past three seasons.

That doesn’t sound quite right for one of college football’s blue-blood programs. You’d have to go back to the John Blake era in the late 1990s to find a similar stretch for the Sooners.

If it happens again, fourth-year coach Brent Venables might be looking for work.

Oklahoma’s biggest problem last season was an offense that ranked 14th out of 16 Southeastern Conference teams in yards per game and 15th in scoring. But the Sooners believe they have rectified that issue with a pair of move-ins from Washington State – 29-year-old offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer.

With the changes on offense and much of what was a strong defense back, Venables said he’s excited about the season.

“I really like this roster,” he said. “It’s a better overall roster from where we were a year ago. And the test of time will tell where this team stands.”

Arbuckle called plays at Washington State the previous two years. The Cougars went 8-4 and averaged 36.8 points per game last season before he left. He’s a key reason the Sooners are ranked No. 18 in the preseason AP Top 25.

Mateer passed for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions last season while rushing for 826 yards and 15 scores.

Isaiah Sategna, a receiver who transferred from Arkansas, said Mateer is the reason he chose Oklahoma.

“Whenever I was in the portal, I checked his film, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to play with him,'” Sategna said.

California love

Oklahoma scored a big-time addition by adding running back Jaydn Ott from the University of California.

Ott ran for 2,597 yards and had 712 yards receiving in his three years at Cal. In 2023, he ran for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns and averaged 5.4 yards per carry to earn first-team All-Pac 12 honors.

Arbuckle is familiar with Ott. When Washington State played Cal two years ago, Ott ran for 167 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass.

“He had his way with us that day,” Arbuckle said. “Good player. I knew he was a talented kid. The eye test — he can pass that.”

New position

Former linebacker Jaren Kanak has switched from linebacker to tight end. Kanak had 103 tackles in three years at linebacker. His best season was in 2023, when he had 62 stops, six tackles for loss and two sacks.

Arbuckle said Kanak has exceeded expectations.

“He’s been awesome,” Arbuckle said. “He’s put in the work to go out there definitely earned himself a spot playing on Saturdays. He’s put in that work and I’m excited to watch him go through fall camp and continue to build on it because he’s an unbelievable athlete.”

Burks back

Receiver Deion Burks was one of the many Oklahoma receivers who fell to the injury bug last season. He suffered a soft tissue injury in the fourth game of the season against Tennessee and played in just one game after that.

He’s back and healthy with a chance to deliver on the promise he showed at the start of last season. He had 22 catches for 169 yards and three touchdowns in his first three games with the Sooners after transferring from Purdue.

Thomas time

Defensive lineman R Mason Thomas was a breakout star last season with nine sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and 11 hurries. Six of those nine sacks came in the fourth quarter with Oklahoma protecting leads. He’s a preseason second-team All-SEC pick, and he could be better than that if Oklahoma’s offense puts him in position to rush the passer.

The schedule

The Sooners open Aug. 30 at home against Illinois State before their first major test Sept. 6 at home against No. 14 Michigan. The Sooners have a brutal stretch to close the season with six of seven games against ranked opponents. That starts with No. 1 Texas on Oct. 11 in Dallas.

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Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press