Sooner Caravan: Brent Venables Says Oklahoma ‘Added Value’ With Recent Portal Additions

OKLAHOMA CITY — Popping out of spring observe, Brent Venables knew Oklahoma nonetheless wanted some depth. Venables reaffirmed that on Thursday in the course of the Sooner Caravan cease on the Omni Lodge.

As has change into the norm in faculty soccer, the Sooners sifted via the switch portal as one other wave of student-athletes opted to search for new conditions at first of Might.

After Oklahoma’s spring recreation finale, Venables mentioned the Sooners could be available in the market for a backup quarterback.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby landed not one however two quarterbacks in Davis Beville and Basic Booty.

Final 12 months, Beville appeared in three video games at Pittsburgh, together with taking a majority of the snaps within the Peach Bowl in opposition to Michigan State, the place he accomplished 14-of-18 passes, throwing for 149 yards and one rating. 

In 2020, Beville additionally took snaps in six totally different contests and is including much-needed expertise behind Dillon Gabriel. 

Lebby didn’t cease there, nonetheless. He joined forces with Cale Gundy to restock OU’s vast receiver room.

Mike Woods departed to the NFL Draft, and Jadon Haselwood, Mario Williams and Cody Jackson all left Oklahoma through the switch portal.

OU responded by nabbing commitments from Missouri switch Javian Hester and Arizona State switch LV Bunkley-Shelton.

Although Venables can’t touch upon every particular person addition out of the switch portal till these gamers formally signal with the Sooners, he did categorical his pleasure general with the upcoming additions to the Oklahoma roster.

“We would have liked depth,” Venables mentioned Thursday throughout a media interview forward of the seventh and ultimate cease on this 12 months’s Sooner Caravan. “ … We want some guys to come back in and compete and make everybody higher.

“I feel we added worth in doing so. Expertise was important to assist to offer a while to different guys to develop and mature as properly.”

Venables mentioned he was particularly pleased concerning the cross catchers, as Hester and Bunkley-Shelton mixed to haul in 55 catches for 643 yards and 4 touchdowns.

“Expertise, measurement and pace and maturity, bodily and psychological, all these issues,” Venables mentioned. “I’m actually excited concerning the guys we have been in a position so as to add late.”

The brand new Sooner head coach has careworn that he doesn’t wish to run a program that’s overly reliant on the portal. However forward of his first season in Norman, Venables has proven the flexibility to behave rapidly and shore up areas on OU’s roster that must be addressed.

The Sooners will now roll into the 2022 season with depth behind Gabriel within the quarterback room, in addition to loads of vast receiver competitors behind established guys in Marvin Mims, Theo Wease and Drake Stoops. 

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