If you have followed Brent Venables throughout his stellar career as a defensive mastermind, you know that the defensive line has been the centerpiece and critical element in all of the outstanding defensive units he has led both at Oklahoma and Clemson.
The former Sooner defensive coordinator and now head coach has always been a proponent of the philosophy and strategic approach that defensive excellence begins in the trenches and at the point of attack.
While Oklahoma has made steady progress over the past couple of seasons improving the size, physical strength and skill of the defensive line group while also adding depth, this looks like it could be the year that Venables and his staff sees the big payoff. ESPN and SEC Network college football analyst Cole Cubelic certainly believes that is the case.
On a recent "Cube Show" podcast, Cubelic ranked the Oklahoma defensive line as the best in the SEC heading into the 2025 season, and "it ain't even close," he said.
Cole Cubelic gives Sooners highest praise
"I'm just going to be honest with you, this was not a debate with Texas, this was not a debate with Georgia, this was not a debate with Florida -- Oklahoma, by far, has the best defensive line in the SEC, and it is by a landslide," Cubelic said.
Cubelic, a former Georgia offensive lineman, specifically cited seniors Damonic Williams, a former TCU transfer, and Gracen Halton, along with sophomores Jayden Jackson and David Stone, a former five-star recruit, as the key names on the interior of the defensive line for the Sooners. And those are just the primary names in the rotation.
"The defensive tackle depth is off the freakin' charts for this group," he said.
And then you add a pair of formidable edge rushers in All-SEC selection R Mason Thomas and Florida State transfer Marvin Jones, Jr.
"There are a lot of guys on this defense that I think can be problematic," Cublic said. "But when you offer me up four defensive tackles that have played in this league and played well in this league, held up only at the point of attack taking on double teams, but also been disruptive, also shown me pass-rush ability, and you add a guy (Thomas) with nine sacks on the edge back to that -- and then on top of that you bring in Marvin Jones, who has flashed absurdly in his career -- you've got the No. 1 defensive line in the SEC.
"They've literally got a 40-yard head start on everybody else."
OK, so the Sooners are way ahead of everyone else in the SEC regarding the defensive line in Cubelic's view. Which other teams make up the top five? Cubelic listed Texas as No. 2 behind Oklahoma, followed by No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Florida. He ranked Tennessee as 5a and Alabama as 5b.
The list of former college defensive linemen who went on to careers in the NFL that Venables had a major hand in recruiting while at OU (1999-2011) and Clemson (2012-21) is an impressive one -- names like Austin Bryant (49ers), Dusty Dvoracek (Bears), Clelin Ferrell (Commanders), Tommie Harris (Bears), Dexter Lawrence (Giants), D.J. Reader (Lions) and Christian Wilkins (Raiders). So it's no wonder the Sooner head coach would place an emphasis on the first line of the defense and creating disruption and havoc for the offense.
It will be interesting to see how Phil Steele, Athlon Sports and other 2025 college football preview publications size up the Oklahoma defensive line when those issue begin hitting newsstands beginning this month.
Read more about OU football