The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 123 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Welcome to the SEC, Oklahoma. The Sooners struggled in their first year after the switch from the Big 12, winning just two conference games in 2024, their fewest in a season since 1997. There are a lot of unfortunate parallels to that late-1990s era. Head coach Brent Venables has turned in below-.500 records in two of his three seasons (6-7 in both 2022 and 2024), when the Sooners entered his tenure without en- during a losing campaign since 1998, the final season of head coach John Blake's disappointing three- year run in charge. Offense was the main issue for Okla- homa in 2024, with the group scoring only 24 points per game to rank 97th in the FBS. The Sooners averaged only 115.2 rushing yards (76th) and 175.8 passing yards (119th) and rotated starting quarterbacks between former five-star Jack- son Arnold, who's since transferred to Auburn, and current sophomore Michael Hawkins Jr. That led to some major changes this off- season. Venables brought in a new offen- sive coordinator in 29-year-old Ben Ar- buckle, who has three years of play-calling experience at Western Kentucky (2022) and Washington State (2023-24), and he also landed the assistant coach's quarterback, John Mateer. The 6-foot-1, 224-pounder is coming off a stellar campaign at Wash- ington State in 2024, having connected on 64.6 percent of his throws for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns with only 7 intercep- tions. He can run it, too, with 826 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. There are questions as to how On3's No. 3 overall transfer in 2025 will fare in the SEC. While Mateer was productive helming an 8-4 Cougars team last season, Washington State was part of a two-mem- ber Pac-12 and played 10 of its 13 games against non-Power Conference programs. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes against Big 12 (9-of-19; Texas Tech) and Big Ten (17-of-34; Washington) teams compared to 67.5 percent versus all others. The Sooners showed they were serious by adding a surprise pickup in April. One day after entering the portal, California running back transfer Jaydyn Ott commit- ted to Oklahoma. He was held back by inju- ries last season (3.3 yards per carry, 4 TD in 10 games) but earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2023, rushing for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns and adding 26 receptions for 196 yards and 2 scores. Four starters return on the offensive line, but that group was awful a year ago, al- lowing 3.9 sacks (tied for 131st nationally) and 7.7 tackles for loss (tied for 127th) per game. Western Caro- lina transfer Derek Simmons, who didn't allow a single sack in the FCS in 2024, could help at right tackle. Tight end Bauer S h a r p, t h e tea m 's leading receiver in 2024, transferred to LSU. Six wideouts left, too, but redshirt senior Deion Burks — who led Purdue in re- ceiving in 2023 — is back after being slowed to just five appearances by injury in his first year in Norman. He racked up 31 grabs for 245 yards and 3 touchdowns. Defensive coordinator Zac Alley left for the same job and an assistant head-coach- ing title at West Virginia, and Venables de- cided that he'll call plays himself in 2025. The Sooners have six returning starters on defense, with notable departures being a pair of fourth-round NFL Draft picks in linebacker Danny Stutsman (Saints) and safety Billy Bowman Jr. (Falcons). Senior R Mason Thomas blossomed at defensive end last year, checking in tied for fifth in the SEC with 9 sacks and adding 35 pressures to earn second-team all-con- ference recognition. The team's second- and third-leading tacklers from last season — senior safety Robert Spears-Jennings (66) and redshirt junior linebacker Kip Lewis (63) — are two stalwarts that head- line the next two levels of the unit. Lewis made the magic happen when the Sooners needed it last year, with a pair of pick sixes that were huge in sealing victo- ries over Auburn and Alabama, two teams that are on the schedule again in 2025. ❑ For his career, senior defensive end R Mason Thomas has accumulated 16 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 32 games with 11 starts. PHOTO BY JOHN BAKER/OU ATHLETICS Oklahoma Offense Needs Resurgence 2025 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2024 Result Aug. 30 ILLINOIS STATE — Sept. 6 MICHIGAN — Sept. 13 at Temple W, 51-3 Sept. 20 AUBURN W, 27-21 Oct. 4 KENT STATE — Oct. 11 vs. Texas* L, 34-3 Oct. 18 at South Carolina L, 35-9 Oct. 25 OLE MISS L, 26-14 Nov. 1 at Tennessee L, 25-15 Nov. 15 at Alabama W, 24-3 Nov. 22 MISSOURI L, 23-20 Nov. 29 LSU L, 37-17 *At the Cotton Bowl in Dallas REASONS FOR OPTIMISM • Monster transfer portal additions • Production coming back on defense • A rising star OC, and Brent Venables call- ing defensive plays Oklahoma's offense was painful to watch in 2024, but the personnel is much better on paper in 2025. REASONS FOR CONCERN • Venables remains unproven as a head coach • QB John Mateer and the offensive line both have a lot to prove • Grueling nonconference and SEC schedule A lot of Oklahoma fans will believe Ven- ables will turn things around when they see it. OKLAHOMA SOONERS • SEPT. 6 • GAME 2 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Oklahoma leads 1-0 First Meeting: OU 14, U-M 6 (Jan. 1, 1976, Orange Bowl, in Miami) Last Meeting: Same Head Coach: Brent Venables, 22-17 at Oklahoma (fourth year) and overall 2024 In Review: 6-7, 2-6 SEC Final 2024 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 10 (4 offense, 6 de- fense, 0 specialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2024 (Armed Forces Bowl vs. Navy, L 21-20) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Michael Hawkins Jr. (783 yards, 3 TD) Rushing: Javontae Barnes (577 yards, 5 TD) Receiving: Deion Burks (245 yards, 3 TD) Tackles: Robert Spears-Jennings (66) Sacks: R Mason Thomas (9) Interceptions: Kip Lewis (2)