Venables: OU defensive rebuild ‘been actually tough’

Andrea Adelson, ESPN

• Senior Citizen WriterJul 16, 2024, 06:16 PM ET Close ACC press reporter.
• Signed up with ESPN.com in 2010.
• Graduate of the University of Florida.DALLAS– As Oklahoma makes its entrance

  into the SEC, third-year coach Brent Venables has not wavered in his vision of having a dominant defense. But he admitted Tuesday the growing discomforts in getting there have not been fun.Venables, who invested the bulk of his profession as a defensive planner

  at Oklahoma and then Clemson before becoming the Sooners’head coach, made his name with his unrelenting, aggressive defenses setting the tone year in and year out. While the Sooners made strides in arriving last season, Venables said in Year 3 the time has actually concerned”emphatically protect the standard.””I can sit here and state oh, it’s been a great deal of enjoyable to develop the roster and develop

  the defense and improve,” Venables stated. “I certainly acknowledge the improvement where it’s taken place, but none of it’s been enjoyable. It’s been actually hard, but you’ve had a clear vision for what you desire. “Editor’s Picks 1 Related Venables explained that when he took the job after the 2021 season, Oklahoma lost 40 defensive players

in the first 15 months.”I don’t seem like the roster was established to sustain those losses, “he said.As a result, Oklahoma struggled on defense in 2022, ranking in the bottom 10 in the country in permitting 461 backyards per game. Last season, the Sooners

enhanced in many locations– ranking No. 2 in the country in interceptions, for example.But Venables stated the group was just too irregular. Gamers cited giving up a lot of huge plays and missing out on too many takes on. Now, with the heart

of his defense returning, including security Billy Bowman and linebacker Danny Stutsman, the expectation is for huge enhancement. “There’s no other alternative, “Bowman said.Stutsman said one of the greatest reasons he decided to go back to school was a telephone call with Venables, who talked at length about completing out with an excellent senior season. Add to that Oklahoma’s entrance into the SEC, and Stutsman feels there is a lot on the line for the defense in 2024. When told his colleagues stated this year’s defense will be much better, he stated,”I would hope so,” with a laugh.The reason?”It’s my last year, “he said.”When you take a look at just how much it means– the fans that are so encouraging of myself– you know how huge this is for them,”Stutsman said.”We enter the SEC one time. There’s going to be no very first season in the SEC again.”That, naturally, leads

to the heart of the question surrounding Oklahoma as it heads into its new conference home. Will it be good enough to contend for a playoff spot in the inmost conference in the nation?”What Oklahoma has performed in the years of being in college football, it is really prestigious,”Bowman said.”We’ve beaten lots of SEC teams. What’s the distinction now? It’s going to be an obstacle though. It will be. I’m not going to sit here and not say that it will not be. We’re anticipating it.”And a lot of that begins with the defense. Venables kept in mind through recruiting and the transfer website– where the Sooners have actually bulked up on the defensive line– the system is beginning to look the method he desires. There is competitive depth now and skill throughout the board.More than that, Venables believes players have taken ownership, comprehending there is a specific state of mind as it connects to toughness and establishing requirements. But he also acknowledges there is still plenty delegated do. “My vision is a dominant defense, dominant defensive culture that has legs and has individuals like Danny, like

Billy, “Venables said.”You remember defenses since of those individuals, those jersey numbers– not because of the Sooners. That’s what I’m dreaming for.”