The Oklahoma Sooners are in desperate need of a bounce-back season in 2023.
The Sooners finished 2022 going 6-7, which was their worst season since 1998. But this offseason has been filled with optimism. Whether it’s due to recruiting, year two in a new system, or early season projections, there are a lot of reasons for Sooner fans to be excited.
247Sports is among those believing the Sooners will improve in 2023. Oklahoma was named one of the 10 most improved teams heading into 2023. The Sooners came in at No. 4 on the list, just behind the Wisconsin Badgers, Miami Hurricanes, and Texas A&M Aggies.
247Sports’ Carter Bahns acknowledges the struggles from last season and that head coach Brent Venables might be over his head. However, he feels one year is too early to judge a coach.
It is entirely possible that Brent Venables is not up to the task and that his tenure as Oklahoma’s head coach goes down as a disappointment. At the same time, it is true that one year is far too small a sample size to judge his leadership abilities. Yes, the Sooners are coming off their worst season in 25 years, but with each of their final four losses coming by exactly three points, they were well within striking distance of tacking on a few more victories. If those close games break their way in 2023, Venables’ first year at the helm will look like nothing but a blip on the radar. – Bahns, 247Sports
A ball bounces differently here and there, and last season has a different outcome. But that’s all part of the game.
What happened last season was necessary for Oklahoma’s growth before they head into the SEC. No, you’d rather not go 6-7 and instead learn from winning, but that wasn’t happening in recent years.
The team was winning, but they weren’t learning from their mistakes. We knew how bad the defense was. Yet, we didn’t know how bad it was because we had a historic offense led by some of the best quarterbacks of the last decade bailing them out.
Last season we saw what this team would have looked like if they didn’t get historic offensive play. The offense and quarterback play last year was good. It just wasn’t historic.
That’s not to make any excuses for Venables and Co. because there are things they have to do better to get the most out of the talent they do have.
Going through an experience like that and seeing what the issues are, if Venables is the guy people think he is, this program will be much better for suffering a season like 2022.
Now, it’s about putting in the work and seeing the results on the field. After this season, there are no more excuses.
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