How have Oklahoma's former assistant coaches looked on new teams this year?

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Change was the buzzword of the offseason for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2025, and a lot of the changes have paid off this year. OU sits at 7-2 heading into the fourth quarter of the season. There have been some ups and downs through nine games, but Oklahoma is in position to make the College Football Playoff if they win out. 

Much of the change was focused on the players on the roster, as the Sooners lost a lot to both the transfer portal and the NFL Draft. They brought in some impact transfers and a good recruiting class to try to improve from a 6-7 season in 2024. 

The change didn’t stop there, as the coaching staff also saw some movement, and the front office looks much different in 2025 as well. 

Curtis Lofton, who was the first general manager in OU Football history, stepped down in January after one year in the role to pursue a career in ministry. Assistant General Manager Chuck Lillie left to take the general manager position at West Virginia. 

Oklahoma made a bold hire in February, tabbing Jim Nagy as the new general manager for football. He spent the offseason building a new front office in Norman, one that reflects the new era of college football. His top lieutenants in the front office are Lake Dawson and Taylor Redd. 

Aside from coaching analysts Ty Hatcher (Georgia), Jack Lowary (Purdue), Ben Tawwater (Mississippi State) and Henry Weinreich (West Virginia) leaving this offseason, and Assistant Director of Player Personnel J.P. Losman also leaving to become an assistant quarterbacks coach at Washington, the Sooners lost three on-field coordinators/position coaches during or after the 2024 season. Each have found new homes, but how are their 2025 seasons going on their new teams? 

Here are the three primary assistant coaches that the Sooners had to replace this offseason, what they’re doing at their next stops, and how the year has been going for them since they left Norman. 

Zac Alley, West Virginia Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach

Zac Alley spent just one season as OU’s co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, and he called the defensive plays in 2024 for the Sooners. Oklahoma’s defense last season was the best Sooner Nation had seen in years, but the unit has actually improved again in 2025 with head coach Brent Venables calling the plays. 

Meanwhile at West Virginia, Alley’s defense is allowing 29.6 points per game through 10 games, which is third-worst in the Big 12. They’re also third-last in yards per game allowed in the conference, and both marks trail Alex Grinch’s defense at UCF. Alley is a good young defensive coordinator who will probably steer things in the right direction in Morgantown, but his mentor Venables has the far better unit in 2025. 

Seth Littrell, Tennessee Senior Offensive Analyst 

Seth Littrell was an offensive analyst at Oklahoma under OC Jeff Lebby in 2023 after he was fired as North Texas’ head coach. After Lebby left for Mississippi State, Venables promoted Littrell to co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach and offensive play-caller. Littrell lasted just eight total games as Oklahoma’s OC, and just seven games in 2024 before he was fired. Oklahoma’s offense sunk to new lows last year. 

Littrell landed on his feet at Tennessee in an offensive analyst role working for head coach Josh Heupel, and the Volunteers have the No. 3 scoring offense in the country, and the No. 1 offense in yards per game. Oklahoma went in a completely new direction at offensive coordinator in 2025, firing Littrell and demoting former co-OC Joe Jon Finley back to only coaching tight ends, but clearly the Vols are getting it done on offense through nine games. 

Kevin Johns, Oklahoma State Quarterbacks Coach 

Kevin Johns spent one season in Norman, after a stint as Duke’s offensive coordinator/QBs coach. Johns began as a senior offensive analyst, but he was promoted to interim co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after Littrell was fired. With Finley calling the plays for the second half of the season and Johns coaching the QBs, the Sooners showed a little bit of improvement on offense, but not enough to keep either in their roles. 

Johns took a job as the quarterbacks coach for Oklahoma State, where he’s found more coaching turmoil in Stillwater. After head coach Mike Gundy was fired, offensive coordinator Doug Meacham became the interim head coach. After a few weeks, Meacham handed play-calling duties off to Johns. OSU’s offense is last in the Big 12 in both points per game and yards per game, and with changes coming for the Cowboys, it looks like Johns will be on the move again this offseason. 

Overall, the Sooners will typically be in good hands defensively with Venables as the head coach, and he’s done a good job calling the defense this year. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ben Arbuckle is a big upgrade over the Littrell-Finley-Johns trio, but he’s a young coordinator who has some room for growth, especially in the SEC. Oklahoma’s offense has plenty of things to improve, but it’s a much better unit than it was last year. The next three weeks will tell even more of the story, but through three-quarters of the 2025 season, the Sooners are in a better overall place than they were in 2024. 

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: How have former Sooners assistants done in new homes this season?

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