Oklahoma’s Brent Venables Faces Biggest Defensive Reload Yet After 2025 Triumph

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Brent Venables turned 2025 into a triumph — not merely with Oklahoma's 10-3 record and playoff appearance, but through his abilities as a play caller and tactician on defense.

The Sooners finished their fourth season under Venables with a defense rated fourth in ESPN's SP+. Oklahoma led in numerous defensive categories that analysts research to see if that side of the ball is up to snuff. You name it, Venables got it done on his side of the ball.

But the conclusion of the 2025 season now brings questions for the 2026 offseason. Namely, can Venables — who has overseen a steady improvement of the defense from year to year since 2022 — maintain this defensive supremacy standard?

Venables' defenses deliver consistency, yet 2026 demands quite the reload. Oklahoma must replace more defensive talent than the head coach confronted upon arriving in 2022

Oklahoma Sooners, Brent Venables — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables after losing to Alabama in the CFP. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

With Kobie McKinzie's transfer portal announcement and questions centered around the futures of Owen Heinecke and Kip Lewis, the Sooners stand to lose a large portion of what made them so great.

Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton have suited up in the crimson and cream for the final team. As have Robert Spears-Jennings, Kendal Daniels and Gentry Williams. Those names, including McKinzie's, have combined for 86 starts per Pro Football Focus over the previous three season.

If Heinecke doesn't receive good news from the NCAA or Lewis decides to take his talents to the NFL, that number increases to 116 starts since 2023.

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Venables is no stranger to roster turnover. He's already seen it during his stint as head coach at Oklahoma.

From 2022's 19 defensive starters (17 with multiple starts), turnover hit hard: five transferred, six graduated and one — Jordan Kelly — stayed but moved to a depth role with zero starts in 2023. Only seven starters of the original 19 reclaimed starting spots.

But that was to be expected. Venables was hired, in large part, to fix the defense that past defensive coordinators Mike Stoops and Alex Grinch led into an abyss never before seen in school history. Many of those players Venables inherited were simply not up to par for his scheme and were shown the door after one year.

2023 laid the foundation for the success Oklahoma would see over the following two seasons. Defensive wizards like Danny Stutsman, Ethan Downs, Billy Bowman Jr. who had been with Venables from the beginning were beginning to prosper. The not-yet-ready-for-primetime players like Lewis and Spears-Jennings gave early impressions that Venables would be able to eventually reload the upper classmen when their time came.

Oklahoma Sooners Danny Stutsman — Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma would have 13 of their 21 starters in 2023 return in 2024 to start at least one game for the school's first year as a member of the Southeastern Conference. Five of those 21 graduated, two transferred and one — Trace Ford — remained as a rotational piece the following season.

2024 brought forth new names next to some mainstays. Yet, the steady progression of the defense remained. 11 of their 22 starters that year would return in 2025 to start games. Eight starters would graduate, Jaren Kanak would switch to offense, one would transfer and Jacobe Johnson would enter into a reserve role in 2025.

This roster retention would also mirror Oklahoma's defensive growth over the years. Per SP+, Venables elevated Oklahoma's defense from No. 70 in year one to 38th, 17th, and No. 4 nationally by 2025.

Currently, Venables stands to lose eight of his 15 starters who started multiple games in 2025. Should Lewis choose the NFL, Heinecke not remain eligible or a surprise name like Peyton Bowen also opt for the professional ranks, Venables will have to replace a plethora of players not seen since his second offseason as head coach.

In the transfer portal era, you also have to prepare for surprises — both good and bad.

2025 Starting Defensive Players (Amount of Games Started)

Bold players are starters who are leaving:

Kip Lewis — 12*
Peyton Bowen — 12*
Kendal Daniels — 12
Robert Spears-Jennings — 11
Damonic Williams — 10
Courtland Guillory — 10
Marvin Jones Jr. — 9
Kobie McKinzie — 8
Eli Bowen — 8
Taylor Wein — 8
R Mason Thomas — 7
Jayden Jackson — 6
Gentry Williams — 5
Owen Heinecke — 4*
David Stone — 2
Michael Boganowski — 1
Kendel Dolby — 1

*Awaiting decisions

The challenge will be maintaining Oklahoma's defensive dominance in 2026. As the offense looks to make a massive jump (50th in SP+), rotational players like Markus Strong, Michael Boganowski, Sammy Omosigho and Reggie Powers III will be leaned on to make individual leaps to replace great talent.

It may be the first dip on defense we have seen under Venables, or it will be a new testament of his defensive genius should Oklahoma remain a defensive titan in 2026.