WATCH: Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables Crimson Combine Postgame

The Sooners' head coach met the press after Saturday's spring football event.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables scrimmage postgame

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NORMAN – Oklahoma coach Brent Venables met with the media for nearly 30 minutes on Saturday after the Sooners’ first annual Crimson Combine.

The event marked the end of spring practice and took the place of the traditional spring scrimmage – the Red / White Game – with an announced attendance of 16,316.

Players participated in individual and group drills, then took part in a 7-on-7 passing drill followed by a light 11-on-11 session.

Afterwards, Venables explained why he was happy about the progress the team made this spring, particularly the offense under new coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer. Technically, Mateer is still competing with sophomore Michael Hawkins, but by all accounts, it seems that Mateer has won the job.

Venables discussed Mateer’s strengths, what he likes about the progress of the other positions on offense and how he feels about calling the defense for the Sooners this season and how everyone made the necessary adjustments in spring ball.

Venables also described the health of the team, confirming a broken leg for transfer wide receiver Javonnie Gibson.

To watch the entire press conference, click the video.

Published Apr 12, 2025 | Modified Apr 13, 2025

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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