Just In: Dylan Buckingham Breaks Down Oklahoma’s Offseason…

This offseason is crucial for the Oklahoma Sooners. With major changes already taking place and more coaching changes on the horizon, I spoke with Oklahoma radio and TV personality Dylan Buckingham to discuss this important period in the Brent Venables era. Give Dylan a follow on the X App @DylanBuckingham. Check out his radio show on The Franchise and on TV for Oklahoma’s News 4. Craig: Is Brent firmly on the hot seat or is this something that’s being fueled by the national media? Dylan: I think there’s some truth to Brent Venable’s seat being warm, but I wouldn’t call it hot. I look to the assistant coaching moves as the reasoning. OU just hired Ben Arbuckle as their offensive coordinator. Would Joe Castiglione be willing to part with him after one season if they move on from Brent? Do they feel he’s ready to take over as OU’s coach? Plus, the hot name with OU’s defensive coordinator search is Jim Knowles. Is he willing to leave Ohio State, a place he just won a national title at, for a potential one year move? Those signs to me point to Venables getting more than just this next “make or break year.” I think the biggest thing this season is showing growth and

Craig: What’s the ceiling for Mateer in year one after being reunited with Ben? Dylan: It’s clear Mateer and Arbuckle have a great working relationship. While I think it will translate to the SEC just fine, I have other outside factors playing into their success. Can OU protect him up front and does he have anyone to throw to? Quarterbacks can make receivers better, but the Sooners lost Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, and their leading receiver tight end Bauer Sharp. Both of those drastically affect how a QB plays. It’ll be Arbuckle’s job to work around that and for Mateer to execute it. I think they can have a successful season, in terms of eight or so wins, but it’s going to be contingent on the receivers and

Craig: Do you think OU did enough to reload after the 27 portal departures? Dylan: The Sooners got off to a great start landing QB John Mateer who many had as the top-rated QB in the portal. It’s the most important position in sports. The Sooners did address some needs on the offensive line. The O-Line improved the back half of the season and OU added two monster freshman recruits in Ryan Fodje and Michael Fasusi. Can they crack the rotation? Bringing in Luke Baklenko from Stanford and Derek Simmons from Western Carolina can’t hurt. OU brought in a bevy of receivers headlined by Isaiah Sategna of Arkansas and Javonnie Gibson of Arkansas-Pine.Bluff. Plus, they added Kennesaw State tight end Carson Kent who was on a brutally bad offense. I’m in a see it to believe it mode on that side of the ball.

As for the defense, they added safety Kendal Daniels and defensive end Marvin Jones, Jr. Both appear to be big pieces to a defense that could use depth heading into this pivotal season. The Sooners lose two major pieces and voices on the defense with Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman heading to the NFL. My guess is you’ll see guys like Kobe McKinzie, Peyton Bowen, Kendal Dolby. and Robert Spears-Jennings pick up where those two left off in terms of leadership.

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