Oklahoma football: 3 major questions Sooners need to answer
By John Buhler
2. Will the reunion of Dillon Gabriel with Jeff Lebby be as seamless as expected?
Dillon Gabriel reuniting with Jeff Lebby should make Sooners fans excited about what this offense could look like. Prior to running the offense for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, Lebby had worked with Gabriel when they were at UCF. After his junior season was cut short due to injury in Orlando, Gabriel is now the one who will have to replace Caleb Williams as the quarterback for the Sooners.
Though he may be an undersized southpaw from Hawaii, Gabriel should be well-versed in the type of aerial attack Lebby will want to run. Again, he has talent to work with in Norman with the likes of Gray, Mims, Stoops and Wease. However, we all understand so much will be put on Gabriel’s plate in his first year with the Sooners. He would not have transferred here if he was not up for it.
Pressure will be ever-present for Gabriel, as he plays the most important position in the state.
1. How soon will Brent Venables be able to implement his new team identity?
One would expect Venables will build his version of the Oklahoma program more in line with what Bob Stoops did than how Lincoln Riley ran things. Both methods worked out fine, but Venables has no choice but to implement his team identity as quickly as possible. If Oklahoma brings a pillow fight defense into the SEC, many teams will run through them like s**t through a tin horn.
The good news is Venables knows how to foster a strong defensive culture from his time at Clemson. The Tigers were able to dominate under Dabo Swinney because they were an SEC team that played an ACC schedule. While Venables wisely ripped Lebby away from Ole Miss, the quicker Oklahoma can get back to its roots of winning with defense, the better off this program will be.
Regardless of how many games they win, how Oklahoma looks on defense will speak volumes.
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