Oklahoma
COLUMN: How Oklahoma’s Young Coaching Staff Uses New Sideline Tech to Its Advantage
NORMAN — A half-dozen times or so in Friday’s season-opener with Temple, the Oklahoma quarterbacks were presented during the ESPN broadcast huddled on the sideline around graduate assistant Ty Hatcher — and his new iPad.
Sophomore starter Jackson Arnold sat to Hatcher’s left, freshman backup Michael Hawkins sat to his right, and behind them, standing up behind the bench, was senior third-team QB Casey Thompson. Hatcher was usually talking, or eliciting a response from Arnold, as they all leaned in to peek at the screen.
They were not scrolling cat videos on YouTube or Instagram shorts, and they were not playing NCAA25.
The tablets are now ubiquitous in college football. Every position group has them, watching plays from the last series and trying to gain an edge for the next series. (In the SEC, teams have an exclusive contract with Apple to use iPads, other conferences have cut other deals.)
For quarterbacks, it would seem an extremely helpful tool to quickly review pass coverages in real time, to make sure protection calls were correct, so see exactly who did what and where, and then communicate any corrections for upcoming drives.
The system is brand new this year, with the NCAA allowing teams up to 18 tablets on game days. So although anyone not on the sideline probably won’t notice it, the whole process should continue to evolve throughout the season.
OU head coach Brent Venables said he likes how the logistics of Friday’s game went.
“I didn’t think there was any issues,” he said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “I didn’t look at a whole lot. I watched (the game) in person. I saw what just happened. Somebody gave up penetration in the A gap, the quarterback had to throw it early, or whatever. But it is, it’s an excellent resource that everybody has now.“
On the sideline between series, Hatcher gathers up the QBs and opens a line to offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, who’s upstairs in the coaches box with assistant QB coach and offensive analyst Jack Lowary. Littrell tells Hatcher what plays to queue up on the iPad, and they’ll communicate what the play call was, what the defense was doing, and what was good — or what should have happened.
Lowary, Venables said, is “really smart. He’s got some great communication skills.”
“And then Ty’s a good young coach, and he’s helping in all kinds of ways. He’s also facilitating a conversation that’s taking place, making sure they’re on the same play and what have you and the read progression, things like that.”
Lowary and Hatcher are both new to the Oklahoma staff and have both been great assets so far, Venables said. They’ll take the next step on Saturday night when the No. 15-ranked Sooners host Houston.
Lowary, from Huntington Beach, CA, was a backup quarterback at Missouri under Barry Odom. His offensive coordinator at the time was Josh Heupel. Lowary also worked at Tennessee for Heupel and Vols offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle — which should come in quite handy when the Sooners host Tennessee on Sept. 21.
Hatcher, from Hueytown, AL, was a quarterback at Samford and worked for Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M last season.
“Great young minds,” Venables said.
On his weekly coaches show Monday night, Venables called it “a player’s worst nightmare” because they no longer have to wait until Sunday film review to get chewed out for a bust.
“You can make it big,” he laughed. “Really zoom in.”
Still, Venables isn’t actually a fan yet of having tablets on the sideline. Venables is old-school to the core, and he thinks giving both teams equal technological assets can somewhat “neutralize” any advantage a talented coaching staff might have.
In other words, one staff puts in overtime on game prep, such as recognizing formations or anticipating pre-snap tendencies — but that mountain of extra work is suddenly leveled because the other sideline can see things in real time on a tablet. Or a school pours financial resources into a salary budget to compensate a top-shelf staff — but any edge in actual coaching skill is taken down a peg because the opponent gets the exact same look.
“Like anything, more isn’t always better,” he added. “If somebody said, ‘Would you vote for everybody to have them or not have them,’ I would say no. Because I like figuring stuff out and seeing it on the field. I think that can be an advantage. Some people can’t see it.
“It still comes down the players out there executing and being physical.”
On Tuesday, he reiterated that stance.
“If you analyzed the iPads as opposed to no iPads, if you asked me, I’d rather not have them. The reason is because I think if you’ve got a good eye for just what happened — who’s in what spot, who wasn’t in the right spot — it gives you a potential competitive advantage on figuring it out. Doesn’t mean you’re gonna win or all of a sudden all of the bad things are gonna go away. But I do think it can be a competitive advantage without the iPads.
“I think it neutralizes a lot of things. I think what you’ve gotta be careful is not overloading information. Most of the time, I think it’s affirmation. ‘Well, that’s what I thought. You’re too wide.’ Or, ‘That’s what I thought. You didn’t block the backside backer.’
“I think it’s a good thing, when it’s all said and done. I think it’s good. … Kind of like the transfer portal has created more parity, I think this will be another thing.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder were shocked by the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night in Paycom Center, losing 124-97. This is OKC’s second loss in as many days, losing last night in Phoenix to the Suns 108-105.
The Thunder’s record is now 30-7 and they are 6-6 in their last 12 games. The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference is playing its worst stretch of basketball in over two years.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points on 7-of-21 shooting to keep his 20-point streak alive. OKC shot a rough 28.2% from three-point range and 66.7% from the charity stripe.
Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s 27-point home loss.
1. Inability to Make Shots
The glaring struggle for the Thunder tonight was on offense, with the team shooting 36.6% from the floor and 28.2% from three-point range. It’s difficult for any team to win shooting that poorly in a game.
The Thunder found open look after open look across the perimeter, but were unable to convert at a high rate. The Hornets were able to consistently help off of perimeter shooters to bring more defensive attention around Gilgeous-Alexander and inside the paint.
Poor shooting creates poor spacing and poor spacing creates ugly offensive execution. Poor spacing and shooting defined OKC’s woes against Charlotte.
2. Young and Hungry Hornets
Charlotte was by far the more energetic team in its win, amped up on both ends from start to finish, flying in for every loose ball. The young team came in looking to send Loud City home unhappy and they succeeded.
The Thunder were on the back end of an away/home back-to-back, having to quickly fly in from Phoenix to prepare for the game. The Hornets smelt blood in the water early, taking the game from their very first run.
After the game was tied at 33 at the end of the first quarter, Charlotte blazed into a 23-7 run throughout a large part of the second quarter to grasp a firm control of the flow of the game. The Thunder’s struggling offense could not find any momentum to claw back into the hole they fell into.
Charlotte’s shooting performance was remarkable from distance. With a plethora of shots taken with great difficulty, the Hornets managed to shoot 51.4% from three-point range.
The Hornets came in hungry and caught the reigning champions by surprise.
3. Gilgeous-Alexander Keeps Streak Alive Amid Struggles
Gilgeous-Alexander scoring above 20 points, with 21, to keep his historic 20-point streak alive, is the lone positive from a rough loss. Despite struggling through constant full-court pressure and double teams from the Hornets, the reigning MVP was able to muster just enough to keep his hunt for the record alive.
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 7-of-21 from the floor and 1-of-6 from three in the loss, adding six assists to his totals. He was OKC’s only 20-point scorer on the night.
The Canadian’s streak of scoring 20-or-more points now sits at 108 games, 18 behind Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 126.
The Sooners have added reinforcement to their backfield for the 2026 season in the form of Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant.
The rising junior has committed to Oklahoma, and will join the program with two years of eligibility remaining. He’ll add explosiveness and versatility to an OU running back corps headlined by returning workhorses Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock.
It’s a return to the Sooner State for Avant, who spent his freshman season at Tulsa in 2024. He signed with the Golden Hurricane out of high school as a three-star recruit. At the time, TU’s head coach was Kevin Wilson, who’s now on staff with Oklahoma as an offensive analyst.
Avant made an immediate impact at Tulsa as a true freshman, rushing for 259 yards and a TD and adding a kick return touchdown. But after Wilson’s dismissal, the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder elected to enter the transfer portal and eventually landed at CSU. There, he became a weapon in several facets for the program during his lone season with the Rams. He totaled over 900 all-purpose yards, 417 of which came on the ground and 261 of which came via pass reception. He scored six total TD’s and averaged nearly six yards per touch.
Upon Avant’s second portal entry, the Sooners quickly emerged as the team to watch in his recruitment. He visited campus Sunday and didn’t take long to lock in his decision.
A native of Humble, Texas, Avant gives Oklahoma six scholarship running backs heading into the new season. He joins Robinson, Blaylock, Andy Bass, and a pair of incoming freshmen in Jonathan Hatton and DeZephen Walker. It’ll also be of some intrigue to see whether OU offers him the chance to return kicks. As a team, the Sooners attempted just two kickoff returns in 2025, opting almost exclusively for fair catches. That philosophy could change with a proven special teams weapon like Avant in the stable.
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Charlotte Hornets (12-23, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6, first in the Western Conference)
Oklahoma City; Monday, 8 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Thunder -15.5; over/under is 232.5
BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City hosts Charlotte looking to continue its three-game home winning streak.
The Thunder have gone 17-2 at home. Oklahoma City scores 121.9 points while outscoring opponents by 14.7 points per game.
The Hornets have gone 5-13 away from home. Charlotte ranks fourth in the league averaging 15.1 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 36.7% from downtown. Kon Knueppel leads the team averaging 3.6 makes while shooting 42.8% from 3-point range.
The Thunder’s 13.6 made 3-pointers per game this season are the same per game average that the Hornets allow. The Hornets are shooting 45.6% from the field, 2.5% higher than the 43.1% the Thunder’s opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Thunder won 109-96 in the last meeting on Nov. 16. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points, and Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 15 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Chet Holmgren is averaging 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 25.0 points over the last 10 games.
Bridges is averaging 20.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 4.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 6-4, averaging 118.9 points, 42.5 rebounds, 24.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.3 points per game.
Hornets: 5-5, averaging 118.7 points, 45.6 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 7.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.8 points.
INJURIES: Thunder: Nikola Topic: out (groin), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Ousmane Dieng: out (calf), Jaylin Williams: out (heel), Isaiah Hartenstein: out (calf).
Hornets: Mason Plumlee: out (groin), Grant Williams: out (acl), Ryan Kalkbrenner: day to day (elbow), Tidjane Salaun: day to day (ankle), Moussa Diabate: day to day (wrist).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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