NORMAN — Oklahoma cannot afford to spend the rest of this season convincing itself that a different quarterback will make everything better in 2027.
A better quarterback can change plenty. Quicker decisions, accurate throws, actually seeing the open receiver that the Ben Arbuckle has dialed up, along with consistent execution that would give this offense a chance to function much differently. John Mateer’s position absolutely belongs under the microscope. He hasn’t seen the field well all season and it’s been more than costly.
But replacing the quarterback and fixing Oklahoma are two different assignments. After the Sooners’ 42–25 loss to South Carolina, I believe the program needs to start answering the bigger questions now.
Who is ready to become a dependable player? Who needs more development? Where will Oklahoma have to buy immediate help through the transfer portal? And how much better must the offense become if the defense loses several of the players currently holding it together?
South Carolina supplied an uncomfortable example. Oklahoma finished plus-three in turnovers and still lost by 17, allowing 521 yards. A defensive touchdown could not cover up everything else that went wrong. Improving the quarterback would help, but that game required answers on both sides of the ball.
The offensive problems need a broader diagnosis.
Through eight games, OU is averaging 106.8 rushing yards and 3.2 yards per carry, with ONLY three rushing touchdowns. On top of that, Oklahoma has converted JUST 36.2% of third downs and scored touchdowns on seven of 20 red-zone trips. Those are team outcomes, not a film grade assigning every mistake to one position.
In the grand scheme of things, offensively, the quarterback influences all of them. A passer who punishes coverage can make defenses pay for loading the box to defend the run. In that same vein, a quarterback that actually makes better decisions can prevent sacks and keep manageable downs from becoming difficult ones.
Still, the next quarterback will also need protection, a dependable running game and receivers who execute consistently. Oklahoma needs to determine which problems come from individual mistakes, which come from personnel limitations and which require changes in how the offense is taught and called.
That puts responsibility on Brent Venables, Ben Arbuckle and the entire offensive staff. If a concept repeatedly produces an opportunity the quarterback cannot execute, the coaching response has to include either developing that skill, changing the player or finding something the personnel can execute. Pointing to an open receiver identifies a missed opportunity. It does not finish the job of fixing it and that scenario has been talked about over and over throughout Sooners Nation this football season.
Additionally, the next quarterback may have to operate without two of this offense’s most productive players.
Isaiah Sategna III has 45 catches for 591 yards. Rocky Beers has 34 for 446. Together, they account for 56.3% of Oklahoma’s receiving yards and seven of its 13 touchdown catches through eight games.
That is a substantial amount of production to replace while also changing quarterbacks.
Sategna is listed as a fifth-year player and Beers as a sixth-year player. Hayden Hansen, Trell Harris and Jake Maikkula are also listed in their fifth years. OU’s planning — ultimately Jim Nagy’s planning — has to account for turnover at receiver, tight end and along the offensive line, not simply the quarterback’s departure.
Of course, a new QB could improve the distribution to whomever is playing receiver at OU next season. However, whoever is at QB will still need somebody that is consistent and dependable to catch it. As well as somebody to protect him and somebody to create enough running room that every important possession does not depend on his arm.
And surprising enough, the defensive transition could be just as consequential.
Peyton Bowen, David Stone, Owen Heinecke and Kip Lewis represent potential losses across the secondary, defensive interior and linebacker room. Those four have combined for 168 tackles this season. Replacing that group would involve experience, communication and just every game consistency — on top of the overall production.
The eligibility distinction matters here. The NCAA’s five-year framework and transition provisions mean a “senior” label alone does not settle whether a player can return. Bowen began at OU in 2023 and Stone in 2024. Their potential NFL departures must be treated as decisions, not automatic eligibility expirations. Heinecke is already a sixth-year player, while Lewis is in his fifth.
And the list could grow with how good (excluding the South Carolina game) the Sooners have been on defense. The other aspect of it all will, obviously, be depending on other NFL decisions and transfers.
There in lies a potential catch-22, right?
An offense that improves while the defense takes a substantial step backward does not necessarily produce a better team. Oklahoma needs enough offensive growth to stop requiring the defense to carry such a heavy share of the burden each and every game. All the while also developing the next group capable of playing winning defense — and that is something OU fans actually have faith in, again, despite the outcome of the Sooners embarrassing loss to South Carolina.
There is evidence inside this program that development can work.
Entering the South Carolina game, all 14 players who had started on defense this season began their college football careers at Oklahoma. That wording with Heinecke, who previously played lacrosse at Ohio State. OU had built a defense that entered the weekend ranked 11th nationally in yards allowed per game. Obviously, the outcome of Saturday’s game vs South Carolina will change that… A LOT.
But Heinecke himself illustrates the process. His official biography lists four tackles in 2023, seven in 2024 and 74 in 2025, when he started the final five games. His value developed over multiple seasons rather than arriving fully formed.
Stone went from six tackles as a freshman in 2024 to 42 in 2025. Those examples are reasons to invest in development. They are also reminders that the next group needs preparation before the established players leave.
That brings us to the 2025 and 2026 classes.
The 2025 group should be moving toward the center of Oklahoma’s 2027 plans. Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje give the Sooners young tackles to build around. Darius Afalava and Owen Hollenbeck belong in the evaluation of the offensive line’s next dependable group. Tory Blaylock, Manny Choice and Elijah Thomas are among the offensive players whose development could reduce the need to shop for an answer at every position, but their output so far also doesn’t negate the idea of potentially needing to go grab a big-name player at RB and WR as well. I lean on going and getting a game-changer, but that is just me.
On defense, that same class includes Omarion Robinson, Courtland Guillory, Trystan Haynes and Trent Wilson. Oklahoma needs to determine who can handle a larger assignment, who can sustain performance across a full game and where additional position competition remains necessary. Signing a promising class only matters if enough of those players become dependable college contributors.
And to be honest, the Sooners have done a good job evaluating their young talent up to this point. You seen the promise of the 2025 and 2026 classes already, but there is still a lot of growth left with both across the board.
As I noted above, the 2026 class provides another group to develop: Bowe Bentley at quarterback, Jonathan Hatton Jr. at running back, Noah Best on the offensive line and Jake Kreul, James Carrington and Markel Ford on defense, among others. Their needs will differ. Some need more opportunities; others need more physical, technical or mental development before larger roles make sense. However, as a complete class, they have started to make an impact and that shows signs of good evaluation and development, with — at the very least, those named above, and in the 2026 class.
Freshman DE/EDGE Jake Kreul has already supplied a concrete reason for optimism. Against Kentucky, he recorded six tackles, three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, earning SEC Freshman of the Week. The next challenge is turning a breakthrough performance into consistent production, and Kreul is moving toward that with his snap count becoming more and more each game.
That is why I believe OU should expand its evaluation of younger players now.
The players who have earned their jobs still deserve an opportunity to finish the season well. Oklahoma should keep trying to win every game. No one is saying tank the rest of this season for the betterment of 2027. That’s not how football works and this isn’t the NBA. However, playing those younger guys a bit more can also build deliberate opportunities for players it may need to rely on next fall. Simply need to find a balance of it all, is all I am suggesting.
At quarterback, Bentley and Whitt Newbauer have each attempted one pass this season. That leaves very little game evidence for evaluating the current alternatives. It also doesn’t make a ton of sense, unless you are 100% going to grab a one or two year guy out of the portal at QB. I honestly think that is the route OU will go and probably the best one, unless they play Bentley or Newbauer more as the season comes to an end.
All that said, I understand that practice matters, and the coaches see considerably more than the public does. But if either is a serious candidate for a larger role, OU should prepare an actual package and identify an appropriate opportunity to use it. A few desperate snaps at the end of a lopsided game provide a limited evaluation.
The questions should be specific: Can the quarterback set the protection, recognize pressure, make timely and scheduled throws? And most importantly, on that front, can said new QB recover after a mistake and not let it snowball throughout the rest of the game/season? On that same token, does the offense function differently with him? What does he need to improve before the staff can trust him with more?
The same approach applies at just about every position. A young lineman needs to show he can recognize movement, blitzes and communicate protections. A receiver has to run the correct route, at the correct depth and understand what route to run — dependent on the coverage and leverage — if it’s an option route. A receiver also has to be able to contribute when the ball goes somewhere else. On defense, a linebacker must fit the run and handle coverage responsibilities. You get what I am saying. There is a lot to make sure you’re adding the right pieces, and there is a lot make sure those coming up, within the ranks of the Sooners’ roster, are capable of developing into what OU needs at their respective position.
All in all, those evaluations should inform Jim Nagy’s roster decisions. They will not eliminate uncertainty, but they can make retention priorities and portal spending more precise.
The portal absolutely can accelerate improvement. Sategna came from Arkansas and Beers from Colorado State; Oklahoma already has examples of transfers filling important offensive roles. The issue is how those additions fit into a roster that also produces its own answers.
My priorities would begin with a complete quarterback competition and retaining the best eligible players already on campus. Then OU needs to identify where it lacks a proven receiving threat, dependable offensive line depth, interior defensive strength, linebacker experience or help in the secondary. The final shopping list should follow confirmed departures and honest evaluations, rather than assuming every vacancy needs an outside starter.
A transfer with multiple years remaining can also become a program staple. The goal is continuity and development, regardless of where a player began.
The 2027 recruiting class must become part of that foundation, too. But expecting incoming freshmen to replace departing veterans across several positions immediately would put an unreasonable burden on that class.
By next fall, the 2025 signees will be in their third college season and the 2026 signees in their second. Oklahoma needs those groups providing starters, meaningful rotation players and competition that raises the standard. That would allow the 2027 newcomers to earn roles at a sensible pace while beginning their own development.
Retaining those players matters as much as signing them. A class cannot become the backbone of the program if its most promising members leave before their best football arrives.
Can Oklahoma be better in 2027? Yes. The portal offers immediate opportunities, and there are young players on this roster worth developing.
Will Oklahoma be better simply because somebody else takes the snaps? I would not build the program’s future around that assumption.
The quarterback decision matters enormously. After all, it’s the most important and hardest position in all of sports to play for a reason. But just as the QB decision matters for the 2027 version of the Oklahoma Sooners, so do the players leaving, the replacements being prepared and the coaches responsible for making the offense function.
That’s the fodder already being discussed after the Sooners went to 4-4 after eight games of the 2026 season. Again, that doesn’t mean you scrap what’s left of this year to make sure young, inexperienced players take over and get all the snaps. You don’t do that to those players that gave so much to the program and are on their last four or five games. Sill, Oklahoma needs to leave this season knowing more about all three: QB position and development/portal additions, what players are actually leaving and what players are being prepared to replace those departing.
The remaining games are an opportunity to start getting those answers.
