For all the attention surrounding Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer entering the 2026 season, the Sooners’ biggest offensive improvement may come from the players lining up behind him.
That’s by design.
A year ago, Oklahoma’s rushing attack simply wasn’t good enough. The Sooners averaged just 118.5 rushing yards per game, finishing 113th nationally, while averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. Even more alarming, no running back reached the 500-yard mark, forcing Mateer to lead the team with 149 rushing attempts and absorb punishment that eventually contributed to a season-altering thumb injury.
Brent Venables watched it happen.
Then he went to work.
The first step wasn’t finding a new running back.
It was finding the right coach.
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
A subscription helps us to run the site and feed the writers. It’s just $6 for one year and it makes a huge difference. Plus, we think the subscription content is pretty good as well. Subscriptions reset every January 1st.