What Will Oklahoma's Offense Look Like?

NORMAN — "I think we’re definitely going to be more versatile," Ben Arbuckle said on Monday. "I think that comes with what we’ve alluded to a lot over the last eight months."

What have the Oklahoma Sooners alluded to over the last eight months?

When they opened Spring Media Day in early March, general manager Jim Nagy spoke about the transformation of the tight end room, the surprise acquisition of former Texas receiver Parker Livingstone and the supposed more harmonious pairing of Isaiah Sategna and Trell Harris.

The day before, Brent Venables appeared on the Oklahoma Breakdown Podcast, where he demanded the running game be improved. Hiring Deland McCullough to enforce that demand seems to be the right move on paper.

So, what will all this equate to?

No, the Sooners aren't running heavy I-Formation and handing the ball off to Adrian Peterson eight yards behind the line of scrimmage. Nor are they looking to imitate Iowa by deploying a methodical, tight-end-centric offense.

This is still OU. Arbuckle is still an air raid guy. But, this offseason has been about fine-tuning details for the offense, improving individual players along the offensive line and at quarterback while hoping for better health all around.

The new pieces — the tight ends and some skill position players — do point towards a slightly different approach than what the air raid typically provides.

Hayden Hansen, Rocky Beers and Jack Van Dorselaer all transferred to Norman and brought strong reputations as great run-blockers from their previous schools. Beers may be more of a traditional pass-catching tight end, but he isn't afraid to put his hand in the dirt and hit someone.

"I know I touched on (working on the running game) in the spring, it continued in Fall Camp," Hansen said on Sunday. "I knew walking in these doors, that’s a big reason I was brought here."

That's not to take away from the noise young Trynae Washington has made this offseason, who Hansen described as "one of the most solid route runners" he has ever seen. All this to say, Oklahoma has emphasized developing its tight end room.

Why? Hansen may have revealed why when he mentioned being prepared to run anything from 11 personnel (one running back and one tight end), 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends) to even 13 personnel (one running back and three tight ends).

The Sooners lived primarily in 11 personnel in Arbuckle's first season in Norman. Much of that was out of necessity. Now? They not only have personnel to run multiple tight ends out there, but they also have the size at wide receiver with the emergence of players like Elijah Thomas (starting against UTEP), Manny Choice along with Livingstone.

At running back — Lloyd Avant and Xavier Robinson lend themselves to an air raid attack with an emphasis on versatility and physicality. Then you have the potential of freshman back Jonathan Hatton Jr. at 235 pounds, to add to that emphasis.

Pair that with the buzz about Oklahoma going under center, and it is easy to envision Mateer in a more traditional offense, with Hansen and Beers on the field, Sategna, Harris or Thomas split out wide, and Robinson behind him.

The idea behind all this? Make Mateer's life easier by limiting his burden on offense, emphasizing other talented personnel groupings the Sooners have at their disposal and combating the SEC with physicality. That means less over-saturation with 11 personnel and more variety in their attack. More downhill handoffs from under center to help their backs out.

Or, as Arbuckle said, what they've "alluded to a lot over the last eight months."

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