Why Oklahoma’s Brent Venables Hopes ‘Hard to Kill’ Still Describes Team in 2026

Late in the 2025 season, Oklahoma wasn’t blowing its opponents out. But the Sooners were inventing new ways to wear their opponents down and ultimately win.

As a result, OU’s players and coaches alike adopted a motto: “hard to kill.”

That billing ended up on t-shirts, billboards and famous rapper 50 Cent even wore a sweatshirt that read “hard to kill” between the third and fourth quarters of the Sooners’ College Football Playoff game against Alabama.

The motto was appropriate. OU surpassed 30 points in only one of its final four regular-season games, but the Sooners won each of them, doing so by a combined 23 points. Even though the offense struggled mightily late in the year, the defense’s performance elevated the Sooners to win after win.

OU coach Brent Venables regularly described his team as “grimy” in the final few months of 2026, which coincides with “hard to kill.” Venables, though, isn’t sure that the Sooners need a catchphrase to hold onto as they approach the 2026 season.

“The 'hard to kill' motto, we don't look to those to hang on,” Venables said at SEC Media Days in Tampa, FL, on Monday. “I think the identity of the team is what we focus on. That's going to be developed.”

That said, Venables wouldn’t be upset if there are similarities to last year’s team that ultimately allowed them to earn their slogan.

Oklahoma’s defense led the SEC in total defense (272.5 yards allowed per game), scoring defense (15.2 points allowed per game) and sacks (45) last year. The Sooners allowed their opponent to score more than 30 points in only two games — their CFP loss to Alabama and their regular-season defeat against Texas.

“'Hard to kill', what does it mean? It means all the things we want to be about as a program, stick-to-itness, a program built on toughness,” Venables said. “This is the game of football, and we play in a game today where the margins are incredibly small. Winning is incredibly challenging.”

Of course, Oklahoma hopes that its offense is far better than it was a year ago. The Sooners would love to have the luxury of winning some of their late season games by a few scores.

But this is the SEC. With games against Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Texas, Michigan, Florida and Missouri on the schedule, it’s almost certain that the Sooners will play several one-score games, even if the offense is much-improved.

That’s where being “hard to kill” comes into play.

“For our guys, man, each and every week is going to be a bloodbath,” Venables said. “We got to figure it out, play complementary football. The most physical football teams win at the end of the day. That's what it's all about. There's no substitute for being physical. For me, that aligns right with who I am.”

Even if “hard to kill” isn’t the slogan in 2026, it’s something that Venables wants to describe his team.

As for whether or not 50 Cent will make any appearances in Norman? That remains to be seen.

“I don’t know about 50 Cent,” Venables said.

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