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s Sooner football counts down to the April 23 Spring Game, many on-the-field questions surround the squad. How different will the offense look? What will running back depth look like? Who will step up at wide receiver? What’s next on the defensive line and, of course, who will step up at linebacker? But what is not a concern is how quickly first-year head coach Brent Venables has stabilized the program. From the creation of the S.O.U.L Mission to the implementation of a balanced and talented coaching staff, Venables has made a commitment to a holistic approach to a college football program. The S.O.U.L. Mission, standing for serving our uncommon legacy, is a four-man team consisting of former Sooners Josh Norman, Curtis Lofton and Caleb Kelly, as well as former Kansas State standout Ryan Young. It’s a player development program, and the goal of the program is to help fill in the gaps left between the on-the-field coaching and the wholistic approach Venables brings to the table, trying to help the maturation process of the players within the program into successful adults beyond football. “I’ve been a lot of places, been with a lot of head coaches,” OU tight ends/H-backs coach Joe Jon Finley said during a spring press conference. “But the SOUL mission is the player development part of it, I’ve never been around anything like it. It’s something, if I ever get to be a head coach, that’s 100 percent going to be part of my program.” In addition to the implementation of the S.O.U.L mission, Venables has hired an incredibly talented coaching staff. It’s a staff that Venables has been thinking about for years. From the top down, it’s a carefully and brilliantly selected group that buys into the plan. “I’ve always been focused on being a great teammate, being loyal, being great right where my feet are,” said Venables earlier this month about compiling a staff. “I’m not a big network kind of guy. I got a strong opinion on stuff, but I’m not a self-promoter. I want to do a great job for the players that I coach. I ask them to give me everything they got, and so I’ve always felt very indebted and very loyal to my players. “I want to do everything I can to help my players and I never want to let them down.” The culture pieces are in place, the coaching staff is set. With the program in good hands and on a solid foundation, the focus clearly turns to the laundry list of on-the-field questions surrounding a 2022 that has some potentially exciting answers. All the fun starts with Spring Football… so let’s hit the field with some of the biggest storylines.
DILLON GABRIEL QB1 The quarterback position at Oklahoma is one that carries high expectations. Is Dillon Gabriel ready to be that guy? “This guy knows how to operate,” Sooner offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said of the prized transfer. “He knows how to walk in the building every single day and have great ownership with how he is going to operate, how he is going to take command of that offense and what it means to be a quarterback. To me, that is huge… it is critical as we set the tone and standard of how we are going to do things.” Gabriel comes to Oklahoma with excellent stats during his time at UCF. He has thrown for 8.037 yards with 70 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions in 26 career games. His season was cut short last year due to injury after only three games. The numbers say “Dime Time” is ready for Prime Time. 36 April 2022
