When it was announced Brent Venables planned to take up the position of head coach of the Oklahoma SoonersThe fan base prayed that a program favorite could bring back some of the old days. That meant better play on the defensive side of the ball and star power at positions not often seen over the years.
One spot that comes to mind, especially with regards to Venables, is the linebacker position. Oklahoma was able to claim some of the better talent in the sport years ago, but not so much lately.
Venables came to campus and quickly worked to change that. Whether it's development or recruiting, he feels great progress has been made.
“It's a group that's really growing up in the system,” Venables said. “That's ideal.”
It wasn't an easy start. The roster was relatively empty after a major coaching change and the linebacker position was nothing new either. But Venables and his staff knew they could work with what they had, find some late reinforcements and start to change the mood of the team.
“We had several newcomers on this two-man team in our first year,” Venables said.Daniel Stutsman As an older guy in this group, he is something of a lone wolf. Kendel Dolby is kind of in there, he's played a lot of ball and he's a senior. Last year he started about four or five games for us at that position. But the rest of the team, you start to feel like veterans now.”
“They are going into their third year,” Venables added.Kobie McKinzie And Kip Lewis They weren't there the first year, but last year they were really thrown in at the deep end. Baptized, if you will. Together with Jaren Kanak who of course played as a complete newbie and also played the last few years. I think his first game, think of Nebraskahe made 10 tackles in that game but didn't know what he was doing.”
That group almost laid the foundation. Then came some additions that Venables thought represented his vision for the position and they started to pay off.
“There are people like Lewis Carter And Sammy Omosigho going into their second year,” Venables said. “I think they have a chance to be really outstanding, as good as it gets in college football. Along with Dasan McCullough who struggles with this injury every day.”
Of course, it all starts with the aforementioned kingpin. Venables took a player like Stutsman under his wing and has observed firsthand the true development of OU's program leader.
“They are led by Daniel Stutsmansaid Venables. “I couldn't be more proud of his growth and maturation. The leadership qualities he brings, the passion and commitment he puts into this program and his teammates make him a wonderful teammate. He cares about everyone else's success as much as his own.”
All of these players bring a lot to the table together, both on and off the field, which is what Venables was hoping to see from this room when he took the job.
“We're long, we're fast and I think we're instinctive,” Venables said. “It's a group of guys who have put a lot of effort into it. They spend a lot of time off the field working on their skills and they do it together, that's my favorite thing.”
“They're passionate about it and excited to do it, even though it's hard and it means work,” Venables added. “But when you chase your dreams, you're willing to go above and beyond and you never regret doing more than is asked. This group of guys has embodied that since that first year.”
And Venables plans to capitalize on it. He can't wait to showcase this group of linebackers, a group he has put a lot of personal effort into. Venables fully expects these linebackers to continue to change perceptions for the better.
“I'm really excited about the depth there,” Venables said. “We're going to use a lot of players because we've got a lot of good players there.”
“Of course I'm emotionally attached to this group,” Venables added. “I challenged them from the first day I came here to be the heart and soul, the backbone of this football team. They've taken their chance, they've taken the challenge seriously.”
