Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables: No Depth Chart as Spring Dawns, but Accountability Will Be Foundational

Oklahoma is one day from opening spring practice under Brent Venables.

Venables, for one, can’t wait.

“We all obviously, over the last eight weeks, we've had some opportunity to install schematically or offense and our defense to some degree, as well as our fundamentals,” Venables said in his opening statement during Monday’s pre-spring press conference.

Venables said there’s no hurry to establish a depth chart — in fact, he won’t use one for now, he said.

“This is a game of performance,” he said, “not potential.”

Venables said the Sooners will open practice with 21 mid-year newcomers — 11 from high school and 10 transfers.

“We really are excited about (having) six of the top 10 guys on our roster, when it comes to returning experience, are portal guys. And you know, we expect all of them to create some opportunities for themselves in some shape or form.

“When we looked at some portal options, OK, we're losing a ton of — I think over half — of our experience on the roster are gone from total starts. And so we really wanted to replace that experience with not only experienced but successful experience.”

While he’ll spend the next 30 days or so getting to know his guys as football players, he expressed repeatedly on Monday that he was pleased with what he’s learned about them as people.

“Couldn't be more pleased with the players’ hunger and thirst for structure, accountability, discipline,” he said. “I've had a thousand conversations with players that have come up to me and said, ‘Thank you for the structure. Thank you for the accountability. Thank you for the attention to detail. Thank you for the discipline.’ And so, you know, some don't necessarily need that, whether they're excited about that or not. But it's good affirmation to know that there's a lot of buy in.”