"You can’t continue to have subpar seasons": Paul Finebaum issues blunt reality check to Brent Venables heading into 2025

SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum believes the seat is scorching hot for Brent Venables. After the Oklahoma Sooners finished with a 6-7 record in 2024, their second losing season in three years, the pressure could really increase in Norman.

As related by Finebaum to On3’s Pete Nakos on Tuesday, the Texas Longhorns' recent success hasn’t helped matters. The Longhorns have qualified for the College Football Playoff the last two years, adding even more pressure on Brent Venables.

“You can’t continue to have subpar seasons at a school like Oklahoma, especially while your biggest rival is in the playoff two years in a row,” Paul Finebaum said.

Finebaum believes that the most important task for the Sooners will be to improve their quarterback situation after an underwhelming season.

The Sooners had one of the worst offensive teams in the nation in 2024, hurt largely by inconsistent quarterback play. Brent Venables took steps to solve that problem by hiring former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. His quarterback with the Cougars, John Mateer, also landed in Norman for the 2025 season.

John Mateer will look to replicate his success in Norman. - Source: Imagn

Mateer will try to bring stability to the position after Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins struggled on the field. Arnold transferred to Auburn ahead of the 2025 season.

Oklahoma won only two SEC games in their first year in the conference. A 21-20 loss to the Naval Academy at the Armed Forces Bowl didn’t help either, especially after the Sooners raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Unfortunately for Brent Venables, the Sooners’ 2025 schedule is loaded with trips to South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama, home dates against Michigan, Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU; and the Red River Rivalry Game in Dallas versus the Longhorns.

Brent Venables adds a former OC to his staff

The Oklahoma Sooners’ coaching staff received one more member for the 2025 season, as former Sooners offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson will join as an analyst.

Wilson was co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 2002 to 2005. In 2006, he was promoted to offensive coordinator, a position he held until 2010 when he took the head coaching job at Indiana.

Most recently, he was the head coach at Tulsa before being let go with one game left in the 2024 season. Wilson held a 7-16 record in two years with the Golden Hurricane.

His arrival in Norman signals that Bren Venables will be pulling out all the stops to get the offense back on track in what figures to be a very important year for the coaching staff.

The Sooners will open the season on Aug. 30 versus Ilinois State.