Oklahoma
Why New Oklahoma QB Coach Kevin Johns Was ‘Like a Pig in the Mud’ Working With Jackson Arnold
Kevin Johns is stepping out of the shadows and into a much larger role on Oklahoma’s coaching staff this week.
The former Dayton signal caller-turned-quarterback guru was brought on staff in the offseason as an offensive analyst, but he will now serve as OU’s quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator alongside Joe Jon Finley after Seth Littrell was dismissed on Sunday.
Finley will call the plays, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables emphasized during his weekly Coaches Show on Monday, due to his familiarity with the system and because Finley fluently speaks the language of the offense.
Johns’ role has evolved in Norman after analysts were permitted to take on a much larger on-field coaching role by the NCAA this summer.
“Kevin, when he got here, was hired later in the winter, early spring as an analyst, off-the-field coaches were not allowed to coach,” Venables said. “So he was looking at advanced scouting and not really in the nuts and the bolts and the X’s and the O’s and learning all the new language and things.
“He’ll pick up some things, but that wasn’t his forte. He wasn’t breaking down things and having to prepare stuff day to day for the coaches. He’s more of an advanced-scout guy.”
That doesn’t mean that Johns won’t be a huge addition to the Sooners, however.
From 2008-2010 he served as Northwestern’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator.
In 2011 he joined Kevin Wilson’s staff at Indiana to serve as the co-offensive coordinator, and in 2012 he was also tasked with working with the quarterbacks with the Hoosiers.
He stayed on staff at Indiana until 2017, when he moved to Western Michigan as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
In 2018, he served as Texas Tech’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach under Kliff Kingsbury before moving to Mike Norvell’s Memphis staff from 2019-2021 to serve as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
He took the same job at Duke from 2022-2023, where he helped develop current Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard.
“The success that he’s had and the exposure that he’s had at several places,” Venables said. “… (He) was at Indiana for several years where they broke 55-plus Big Ten records and led the Big Ten in scoring when he was the OC and quarterbacks coach, I think ’16-’17, and the development pieces that’s there.
“He understands — everywhere, he’s had to maybe do more with less. I love that about coaching, when you see people have success at places where maybe they don’t always have the best resources but you’re able to maximize guys. You’re essentially able to put people in positions to be successful.
“And that was behind this decision that we’ve gotta maybe do, whatever that looks like, a better job of putting our guys in a better position to be successful.”
Johns and Finley will have a tough task ahead to improve OU’s offense on the fly.
The offensive line has struggled mightily in 2024. After surrendering nine sacks to South Carolina on Saturday, the Sooners now rank 132nd out of 133 FBS teams in sacks allowed.
There won’t be some massive schematic overhaul, either.
It’s the middle of the season, the tweaks will be subtle, but Venables’ goal is for Johns and Finley to be able to put the offense in better spots for the final five games of the season.
“There’s obviously always a collaboration, but we’ve figured out what doesn’t work, I know that,” Venables said. “There’s certainly things that haven’t worked, and so you push those to the side and try to lean on expertise.”
“… He and Joe Jon will work together, with the rest of the staff; everybody has a role, but those will be the two voices putting stuff together, and then Joe Jon will call it on gameday.”
Venables expanded on the decision to name Finley as the play caller, too.
“They did not pass that (analyst) rule until fall camp where these other off-the-field people can actually coach,” Venables said. “Because of all this time where (Johns) hasn’t been intimately involved with the offense, but the X’s and the O’s, the verbiage — all the depth of that. (Johns has) been more organizational, advanced scouting.
“… He’s a leader, and so I put him in some of those roles that need really good leadership so you get the right looks and stuff like that. Here we are, and you got a week to make sure you have all your verbiage down and things like that. It’s just a lot. It’s not really fair to put him in that position. But he’ll have a lot of influence.”
Finley and Johns will be rolling with Jackson Arnold at starting quarterback against Ole Miss, Venables announced on Monday.
Arnold was reinserted into the lineup against South Carolina after Michael Hawkins Jr. committed turnovers on each of the first three drives.
Arnold finished the game 18-for-36 passing for 225 yards and a score.
It’s not yet clear if Finley, Johns and Arnold will have more weapons at wide receiver available to work with against the Rebels.
Monday’s practice went well, Venables said, and he’s excited to see Johns get to work as OU’s quarterback coach for the rest of the year.
“He was like a pig in the mud (Monday) with the quarterbacks,” Venables said. “He’ll be a great asset for those guys.
“… He’ll be a great vessel for those quarterbacks to get another lens and to get another view of things. … He was on point. He was really good.”
Oklahoma tornadoes, Drummond mosque investigation and other news
Catch up on everything that happened in the news this week as of Jan. 9, 2026.
Missing 12-year-old Ryan “RJ” Davis has been found safe, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Jan. 11, the OSBI said Davis was located in Chickasha.
“The OSBI appreciates all our local law enforcement partners and search groups who assisted us throughout the week,” the OSBI posted. “We will provide updates when they become available.
The boy had been missing since Jan. 2.
News9 reported Sunday afternoon that OSBI spokesman Hunter McKee said the United Cajun Navy made contact with RJ and took him back to a hotel, where authorities processed him and took him to the hospital. Authorities said RJ appears to be fine physically, according to News9
The United Cajun Navy is a nonprofit grassroots group out of Louisiana that assists in search and rescue efforts and disaster recovery.
The boy’s mother, Kimberly Kay Cole, and stepfather, George Franklin Cole Jr., were arrested earlier this week on suspicion of child abuse and as of Sunday were still listed as being in custody at the Caddo County Jail in Anadarko. It’s not yet clear whether the charges are directly related to RJ’s disappearance, but the arrests came after officers interviewed the parents and obtained evidence from search warrants.
Authorities said Thursday, Jan. 8, that they believed RJ was still alive. Prior to Sunday, he was last seen Jan. 2 near the Chickasha Quality Inn.
Searchers were targeting a vast rural area from Cement to Chickasha, which is within an hour’s drive from Oklahoma City. The search included properties associated with the family. It was unclear from the OSBI’s Facebook post where in Chickasha the boy was found.
This story was updated to add new information.
Contributing: Staff writer Dale Denwalt
After building a four-point lead midway through the second half, Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball couldn’t close the door Saturday afternoon in College Station, dropping an 83-76 decision to Texas A&M Aggies men’s basketball.
Oklahoma led 67-63 with just over 10 minutes to play, but the Aggies finished the game on a 20-9 run, capitalizing on turnovers and trips to the free-throw line to pull away down the stretch.
Late mistakes prove costly
The Sooners entered the game averaging a league-low 9.5 turnovers, but committed a season-high 17 against Texas A&M. Those miscues turned into an 18-8 disadvantage in points off turnovers and allowed the Aggies to control the closing minutes.
Texas A&M also made its mark at the stripe, going 21 of 25 (84%) at the free-throw line. Oklahoma finished 13 of 16 (81%), but the volume favored the home team.
“Well, a game that featured 19 lead changes, 42 fouls and 64 three-point attempts,” said Toby Rowland. “Texas A&M had the final kick in this one as they pulled away to the victory down the stretch. Oklahoma, a season-high 17 turnovers, and in the end, that did them in.”
Pack leads the way offensively
Despite the loss, Nijel Pack delivered one of his best performances of the season. The junior guard scored a game-high 24 points, matching his season high with six 3-pointers, while also adding six rebounds and five assists.
Pack also crossed a milestone, surpassing 2,000 career points during the game.
Oklahoma got strong contributions in the frontcourt as well. Derrion Reid recorded the first double-double of his career with 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, knocking down four 3-pointers. Tae Davis added 12 points and 10 boards, giving the Sooners two double-doubles on the day.
Xzayvier Brown, who had averaged nearly 20 points over his previous six games, was held to seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Strong start, tough finish
Oklahoma scored the first five points of the game but trailed by as many as 10 in the first half before responding with a 20-10 run to tie it at 43 late. A late Aggie three sent Texas A&M into halftime with a 48-45 lead.
The Sooners came out hot after the break, regaining the lead behind threes from Pack and Reid. Brown’s acrobatic layup and free throw pushed Oklahoma ahead 67-63, but the offense stalled from there. OU went 4 of 14 from the field over the final 10 minutes and missed its last 10 three-point attempts after starting 11 of 21.
What’s next
Oklahoma controlled the glass 43-32 and owned an 18-7 edge in second-chance points, but couldn’t overcome the late execution issues.
After back-to-back road losses, the Sooners return home Tuesday night to host defending national champion Florida Gators men’s basketball at Lloyd Noble Center. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT, with coverage on ESPN2.
Although only two Sooners landed on the first or second team this year, Oklahoma was well-represented on the 2025 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team.
Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey was named to the first team, and San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams was named second team.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, Denver Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto and punt returner Marvin Mims, Washington Commanders punter Tress Way, Chiefs long snapper James Winchester, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jalen Redmond all received All-Pro votes from the AP’s 50 media voters who cover the league.
Last year, Humphrey and Mims earned first-team honors, while Bonitto, Johnson and Lamb made second team, giving OU five All-Pros — most of any school.
It’s Humphrey’s third time on the AP All-Pro team and his second as a first-teamer. He led the voting at center with 93 total points, including 26 first-place votes. (First-place votes are worth 3 points, second-place votes are worth 1.)
Humphrey redshirted at OU in 2017, then was a three-year starter from 2018-2020 and was named Big 12 Offensive Lineman of The Year twice. Humphrey, from Shawnee, has made the Pro Bowl each of the last four seasons and is a two-time Super Bowl champion.
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Williams is a five-time All-Pro (first team 2021-23) and a 12-time Pro Bowler. By just one vote, Williams finished second in this year’s voting to Denver’s Garett Bolles, who got 74 points and 19 first-place votes, while Williams got 71 points and 19 first-place votes.
At OU from 2006-09, he was the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft after twice being named first-team All-Big 12 and Consensus All-America in 2009.
The results of The Associated Press 2025 NFL All-Pro balloting as selected by a national panel of 50 media members. First-place votes in parentheses are worth three points, second-place votes worth one:
Offense
Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams, 111 (31); Drake…— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) January 10, 2026
Johnson had been on five previous AP All-Pro teams, including twice as a first-team selection. Johnson came to OU in 2009 as a junior college quarterback, moved to tight end, then defensive end and eventually offensive tackle in 2011, when he made second-team All-Big 12 in back-to-back seasons. He was third in the voting among right tackles, earning 12 votes.
Mims, a third-year pro, landed All-Pro accolades in each of his first two years in the league. At OU, Mims had 2,398 yards and 20 touchdowns as a receiver, and averaged 11.8 yards as a punt returner. He received 11 points (one first-place) and finished fourth in the voting.
Bonitto picked up his first All-Pro honor last year after registering 13.5 quarterback sacks (third in the NFL) and earning a spot in the Pro Bowl. Bonitto was a two-time AP All-American at Oklahoma (second team in 2022, third team in ’23), logging 33 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one interception. He finished seventh in the voting among edge rushers, picking up 54 points (11 first place).
Winchester got five points (one first place) as long snapper and finished eighth in the voting. Way received 28 points (six first place) and was fourth in the voting at punter. Redmond got one vote as an interior defensive lineman, while Lamb got one vote as a wideout.
Humphrey was the only former Sooner to land on the Pro Football Focus All-Pro Team (first team). He also was the only OU player with a spot on the ESPN All-Pro team (first team).
Humphrey (first team) and Williams (second team) also were honored by USA Today, Yahoo and Sports Illustrated.
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