There are a number of adjustments the Oklahoma Sooners have began making over the last few years in preparation for their move to the SEC. One of those has been on fortifying their talent in the trenches. And for good reason, the amount of talent along the offensive and defensive lines in the SEC is unmatched.
Brent Venables made it a priority when he arrived in Norman and the defensive line depth, in particular, is arguably the best its been in a decade. The offensive line has some talented depth, but with complete turnover upfront, may have more issues making the adjustment to the level of play in the SEC.
Speaking at SEC media days, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer argues the defensive line talent and the environments will be the biggest adjustments Oklahoma will have to make.
Beamer Said, “From being in other conferences — and I’ve coached in multiple leagues in my career — it’s the size and the depth and the athleticism you see on the line of scrimmage every single week in this conference.
“I can remember being at Oklahoma, coaching tight ends, and you would be getting ready to play most Saturdays and there may be one or two guys on the opposing defensive line that you really got to be cognizant of. Like this guy can completely wreck your game if you don’t have a plan for him.
“But then you come into this league, it’s not one or two, it’s like six or seven every single Saturday on the line of scrimmage. That’s one thing.”
Six or seven game wreckers along the line of scrimmage might be a bit of an exaggeration, but we know the level of talent is going to be a step up. There’s a reason the SEC leads the way in NFL draft picks every cycle. But even if it’s not “six or seven” and it’s three or four game wreckers per team up front, it’s going to be a challenge for Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line.
“The other part off the field, and it’s awesome, is just the venues that you go into this in league,” Beamer said. “Being able — like every single Saturday it’s an event in that town. There is 80, 90, or 100,000 people every single Saturday in this league.
“There is nothing like it. Just the competition, pageantry, it’s special. It’s something I missed when I was not in this conference and coaching in other conferences, and excited that I’m still part of the SEC.
“And don’t get me wrong, Oklahoma and Texas have played a lot of big-time football games and are two big-time programs. But to answer your question, just the difference and what to expect, those are two things that stand out to me that I think are a little bit different than other conferences.”
The only schools OU traveled to that can boast stadium capacities rivaling that in the SEC are Iowa State and West Virginia. Those stadiums have just over 60,000 in capacity.
It’s going to be a challenge going into Jordan-Hare Stadium, which boasts a capacity of 87,000. That’s the new reality for the Oklahoma Sooners as they enter the SEC.
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