Oklahoma's Goal in Transfer Portal: Maturity

Brent Venables wants to see "guidelines" instituted that would give athletes "pause," and perhaps incentivize players to not transfer until later in their careers.

Oklahoma has been as successful as any school supplementing the football roster with talent from the NCAA transfer portal.

But even with 10 new arrivals — all of whom he expects to contribute during the 2022 season — Brent Venables advises proceeding with caution.

“There's no question,” Venables said last week, “that there has to be some adjustment.“

Much like it did with NIL legislation, the NCAA’s decision to empower players with the transfer portal came without much regulation. It was once reserved for graduate students, but now it’s like a New York subway terminal, with unfettered comings and goings.

“I think it's tough on both kids and coaches that are trying to manage rosters,” Venables said. “Kids need to have a little bit more guidelines, if you will. And I think us adults providing some boundaries to help guide them and help them navigate, just from a timing standpoint. But I think that's a two-way street for both coaches to manage their rosters, from a timely standpoint, being able to maintain that, and still be able to adhere to an 85 scholarship number. There logistically could be some challenges there.”

The guidelines Venables mentioned would give student-athletes “pause” before deciding to transfer. With no limitations in the current structure, 17-year-olds are making life-changing decisions that might not necessarily be in their own best interests. Venables suggests considering models that take a more long-term view.

“I believe that we should incentivize it with graduation in mind,” he said. “ … Whether it's a coaching change, or maybe somebody's not sitting in a favorable position on the depth chart, or they come in and they're just not as mature as they need to be in all of it, faced a little bit of strain for the first time in their careers — just give them a reason to pause.”

Even though the Sooners have mined the transfer portal this year to their distinct advantage, Venables points to the methodology by which OU improved its roster: maturity. Nine of the 10 have played at least two years in college already, and six — DL Jeffery Johnson, DB Trey Morrison, TE Daniel Parker, CB C.J. Coldon, LB TD Roof and DL Jonah La’ulu — have played four years.

“I look at Trey Morrison, I look at Dillon Gabriel and McKade Mettauer and Daniel Parker,” Venables said. “Those are some guys that played a ton of football — and even TD Roof as well. … We were really attracted to their maturity.

“And again, I wanted them come in and know how to work right away throw them in the weight room with Schmitty (strength coach Jerry Schmidt). Man, these are guys that aren't going blink, and I wanted our other players in our program to see that.”