Brent Venables is “excited” about QB John Mateer joining the OU football team

FORT WORTH, Texas – OU football coach Brent Venables and Navy coach Brian Newberry attended the pregame press conference Thursday before the Armed Forces Bowl.

The Sooners and Midshipmen will face off at 11 a.m. Friday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Here are five takeaways from the press conference:

More:What college football bowl games are today? Busy schedule, Oklahomans in the bowls

Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman only choose Sooners

OU football coach Brent Venables said Thursday The Sooners have 56 scholarship players available for Friday’s Armed Forces Bowl against Navy, with linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman the only two players who withdrew from the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.

Other players not participating include the players who entered the transfer portal and 11 players who are injured.

Venables said Stutsman and Bowman remained with the team and were traveling but would not participate in the game.

“Obviously we’re different today than we were at the beginning of the season,” Venables said.

Available scholarship players include defensive end R Mason Thomas. OU’s NIL collective announced Tuesday that Thomas would return for next season, but the post was soon deleted.

Venables did not provide an update on the status of wide receiver Deion Burks, who would be the only wide receiver available without a freshman scholarship if he could play.

Burks missed all but one of the last eight games due to injury.

“When he’s healthy, he’s a fantastic player,” Venables said of Burks. “He is one of the best competitors we have on the team. He has very dynamic ability to play both on the outside and on the inside.”

More:OU Football vs. Navy: Inside the Sooners-Midshipmen matchups in the Armed Forces Bowl

Ben Arbuckle will coach for OU in the Armed Forces Bowl

Incoming Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle has worked with quarterbacks during bowl preparation and will serve as quarterbacks coach in the bowl, although Joe Jon Finley will remain the playcaller.

The move came after interim quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns accepted a job on Oklahoma State’s staff.

“I think probably the most important part of this transition is that he was able to build those relationships,” Venables said of Arbuckle.

More:OU Football vs. Navy Armed Forces Bowl Score Predictions: Can the Sooners pull out the win?

It’s unlikely the Sooners will contribute much defensively

The majority of OU’s transfer portal activity so far has come from the offensive side, with eight of the nine portal commits being offensive players.

The only other addition came on special teams.

Venables said there won’t be a rush of defensive additions.

“We’ll have a few more on offense,” Venables said. “We don’t have many needs. We have tremendous strength on the defensive side of the ball.”

More:How OU football player Luke Elzinga is thriving in a role he never imagined possible

Brent Venables talks about John Mateer

Venables didn’t say much when asked about one of those transfer portal additions, Washington State quarterback John Mateer, saying he preferred to keep the attention focused on Friday’s game.

However, Venables was asked several questions about the portal expansion.

“Excited about John,” Venables said. “…John is a leader. He has experience. He has great arm talent. Really good instincts. He will make us better.”

More:Navy coach Brian Newberry will come full circle when he takes on OU football in the bowl game

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

Brent Venables is “excited” about QB John Mateer joining the OU football team

Leave a Reply Cancel reply