The Sooners have been making splashes on the recruiting trail and through the transfer portal to build a roster that’s ready to contend now and into the future. That’s not to say the SEC will be easy. Far from it, but Venables and his staff have been building toward their move to the SEC since their arrival after the 2021 season. And those roster building efforts have created a talented team on both sides of the ball.

Here are just a few reasons why Oklahoma is set to content in 2024.

Even before the Oklahoma Sooners added in the transfer portal, the defensive talent and depth had taken a big jump. For years the roster was so dependent on the offense to carry the team, but now, there’s a lot more balance. And one could argue that the OU defense is the strength of the team.

Williams adds to a defensive tackle group that has added a ton of talent over the last six months. Todd Bates has brought in Jermayne Lole, David Stone, and Jayden Jackson to a group that includes ascending players like Da’Jon Terry and Gracen Halton.

Halton, who was a true freshman in 2022, is the only one of those six defensive tackles on the roster before last offseason.

In a sport that requires you to be really good in the trenches if you’re going to contend, Brent Venables, Zac Alley, and Todd Bates have put in the work to revitalize their defensive tackle group.