Leading one of college football’s most storied programs, Brent Venables is navigating uncharted waters for Oklahoma head coaches: consistent losing. The Sooners concluded their 2024 campaign with a narrow 21-20 loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas, cementing a disappointing 6-7 record. This marks Oklahoma’s second losing season in three years, a rare and troubling trend for the program.
In Venables’ first year as head coach in 2022, OU also finished 6-7 following a close bowl defeat. Optimism returned in 2023 after a 10-3 season, but the wheels came off again this year. The Sooners’ inaugural season in the SEC included a winless October, the midseason firing of offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, and a lackluster conclusion in a Big 12 stadium bowl game.
The comparisons to John Blake, who endured multiple losing seasons in the 1990s, are hard to ignore. Blake, fired after three consecutive losing campaigns, represents the program’s low point. Oklahoma fans are accustomed to excellence under legends like Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer, and Bob Stoops—not mediocrity.
Venables faces a critical challenge in 2025: return Oklahoma to its winning ways or risk becoming a footnote in the program’s history. For a program where expectations remain sky-high, time is running out.
