Brent Venables Changed the Culture With Powerful Leadership, but Now Must Sustain That

NORMAN — From the head coach to the former lacrosse linebacker, Oklahoma got exactly what the program needed most in 2025: outstanding leadership.

The sting from blowing a 17-point lead at home in the College Football Playoff against Alabama is still fresh. But Sooner Nation can take solace from the many obvious improvements that seem to indicate that Brent Venables finally has the program pointed in the right direction.

“It all starts with Coach — the ultimate leader,” said senior defensive end R Mason Thomas. “I just piggyback off of him. For our defense to be how it was this year says a lot about our coaching and our leadership.”

The Sooners had one of the best defenses in the land this season because players like Thomas were firmly bought in on Venables’ message. This year’s senior class (minus any holdovers from previous classes) have only had Venables as their head coach. The culture change is, for lack of a better word, complete.

Not that it stops. Venables’ job now, of course, is to sustain what he’s built. Many successful head coaches will say that’s actually the hard part — keeping it going, rather than getting it started.

To be self-sustaining, that culture has to be firmly established — not just in the senior class, but in the younger guys that follow.

“What you do speaks a lot louder than what you say,” Venables said. “And this is a group of guys that were certainly about the doing all year long.”

Senior linebacker Owen Heinecke walked on in 2022 after beginning his college career at Ohio State playing a completely different sport, then spent this season taking another senior’s starting job because of his consistency — and ultimately, his leadership.

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“As far as leaders go, that was part of our success this year, a huge part, was that we had leaders everywhere,” Heinecke said. “When somebody wasn't having the best game, there were other people that would step up and take that role from him. So having leaders all across the board is something that's great in games where they're super close and you've got to rely on a couple of people to come up clutch.”

Like Thomas and so many other Sooners, Heinecke sees where that leadership characteristic comes from: Venables.

“I think Coach V does a good job of making sure everybody has a chance to be a leader,” Heinecke said. “He doesn't put you down based off age or how much you play. In fact, he expects everybody to make an attempt at being a leader. It lets guys that probably wouldn't be outspoken or super vocal get to be vocal.

“I think that you're starting to see that in the culture that's being built here. So, just a testament to this team and all the leaders and all the hard work everyone's put in.”

Thomas considers himself one of those players who leads not through his words or even his vibes, but rather his actions on the field. But true leaders will find their voice. True leaders will lead in their own way.

“I'm more of the one that says certain things than kind of sit back and watch it happen,” Thomas said. “I’m not really that big of a talker. Leadership, that's more Kip (Lewis), Owen, John (Mateer).

“I think for them, how they develop me to the leader I am today is crazy. Looking back at my freshman year, I guess it would be insane if you all (saw but you) wouldn't know, because you’re not here day to day, but it all starts with Coach V. Amazing coach, amazing leader. Wouldn't have it any other way.”

This team — Team 131 — is finished. The next generation of leaders — the one that emerges to lead Team 132 — will eventually their own voice and lead in their own way.

But it doesn’t just happen. Those players will have to continue to follow Venables’ message and buy into their role as the leaders who shape the culture of OU football.

“Couldn't be more thankful and proud for that group of guys — and the group of guys that are returning as well,” Venables said. “Again, easily one of the funnest teams I've ever been around, the spirit of this team, their love to compete, their love for their brothers, their willingness to allow us to coach them day in and day out. What a joy that they've been.

“This is a group of guys that got us to our fifth playoff and did — in many ways, to many people — the unthinkable, and (were) an amazing example for the returning players, what it needs to look like, what the standard of Oklahoma looks like, what the expectations are here. And then, this is how we do it, how you play, how you compete, how you show up every day, the level of consistency, the level of sacrifice and love that you've got to have.

“I thought culturally speaking, I think I was as pleased with that piece as well. Everything starts with me when it comes to being a tone-setter, the things that are important, our standards, the things we value, the things we're going to be about, the things we're willing to tolerate and not tolerate, the type of people we recruit and then what we nurture every single day. Because if you're going to do it the right way — and for something that lasts longer than just this moment — then you have to nurture it every single day.”