Oklahoma's head coach believes in his offensive line in 2026

Oklahoma Sooners fifth-year head coach Brent Venables has not been shy this offseason about how much he wants his team to improve when it comes to running the football . Ever since the 2025 season came to a close, Venables has made it a point of emphasis to make sure OU runs the ball better in 2026. In order to run the ball well, you first need an offensive line that is physical, and is able to move people around, opening up holes for your running backs.

While Venables has built an imposing, nasty group in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball, the offensive line still has some catching up to do when it comes to physicality and being able to take over the game on their side. While the o-line bottomed out in 2024, the Sooners were better up front last season, though not good enough to satisfy Venables, especially when it came to run blocking. Oklahoma averaged just 3.

5 yards per carry in 2025, which was one of the big factors that kept the OU offense from being good enough to take the Sooners farther than the first round of the College Football Playoff. This winter, Oklahoma's head coach has preached physicality demanded a "kick-ass" mindset from his offense when it comes to running the ball. Unsurprisingly, he wants his team to be able to put hands on people and move them in the running game.

That's isn't what the Sooners have been doing for the past few years, and really, for longer than you'd realize. However, Venables has liked what he's seen from his offensive line this winter. Speaking to the media earlier in spring practice, he expressed his confidence in where that unit can end up.