Is this Brent Venables' most talented team at Oklahoma?

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National championships. That's the standard at the University of Oklahoma. Brent Venables knows it. His staff knows it. His players know it. Now, it's time for them to live up to it.

Last season was a successful season. Oklahoma went 10-3 and made the College Football Playoff for the first time in the Venables era and the first time since 2019. While the season was successful and came as a surprise to many, it still didn't live up to that standard, given the program's championship expectations and historical benchmark.

Now we turn to the 2026 season. This year is arguably the most talented team the Sooners have had under Venables, and maybe the most talented they've had in a decade, based on returning production and roster continuity.

SoonerScoops' George Stoia appeared on "The Paul Finebaum Show," where he agreed that this is the most talented team Venables has had in Norman.

"I think on paper, this is the most talented roster Brent Venables has had in his tenure," Stoia said on 'The Paul Finebaum Show.'

There is a lot to like about the Sooners team. Oklahoma is tied for 12th in the country with 65% of its production returning from last season. That includes 75% of its offensive talent, which ranks No. 3. The Sooners return starting quarterback John Mateer, four out of five starting offensive linemen, leading receiver Isaiah Sategna and top two leading rushers in Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock.

On defense, the Sooners return an All-SEC EDGE in Taylor Wein, David Stone, who some believe is the best defensive tackle in college football, Jayden Jackson, both starting linebackers and three starting secondary players, giving Oklahoma one of the most experienced defensive cores in the SEC.

This season has all the makings to be a special one; it's now about Venables getting them there because, as Barry Switzer once said, "People don't know what it means to be champions. Oklahoma invented it."

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Is this Brent Venables' most talented team at Oklahoma?

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