It might still be too soon, but Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables has OU fans laughing through the pain of the Sooners' recent struggles with running the football.
Venables held a press conference on Monday as the Sooners are just over two weeks away from starting spring practices and also had three new position coaches to introduce to media before that, including new running backs coach Deland McCullough, who replaced DeMarco Murray and will hopefully help turn OU's running game around in 2026 with both leading rushers from 2025 returning in Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock.
Brent Venables brutally honest about Sooners' rushing production
As Venables during his opening statement started listing what production the Sooners have returning from last year, the running game was mentioned after OU averaged 118.5 rushing yards a game, which was among the bottom 50 in the country in 2025.
“Returning offensive production, we got 90% of our rushing yards," Venables said. "We didn’t have many rushing yards, but we have 90% of them coming back."
Venables made the statement with a straight face, so it could have been more brutal honesty than a joke, but either way, it's something that has to be better for the Sooners in 2026 if they want to not only get back to the College Football Playoff, but finally get past the first round.
Murray wasn't the sole issue of the Sooners' issues running the ball, but a new leader of that position could be a benefit, especially when it's someone with a track record like McCullough. Having the one-two punch of Robinson and Blaylock back can also only help.
Having four of five starters returning along the offensive line is also massive boost, especially considering three were freshmen last year still adjusting to college football.
New tight ends coach Jason Witten also has the most prepared and talented group of tight ends OU has had in some time, which should also bolster the run game, especially around the edge.
There's really no reason for the Sooners' rushing game to be anything but better in 2026, but it's still no laughing matter for OU fans until the production is proven.