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Brent Venables is getting ready for his fourth season as the head coach of the Oklahoma football team, and it's a crucial one. Venables was the defensive coordinator at Clemson before coming to Norman in 2022, and his tenure hasn't seen a lot of success. The Sooners did win 10 games in 2023, but after the way that season started, not making the College Football Playoff was a disappointment. Venables needs to lead Oklahoma to a successful season, and the college football transfer portal has been a helpful tool in terms of making that happen.
In today's era, the college football transfer portal is crucial. Unless a team had a phenomenal season and is bringing back all of their starters, there is reason for every squad to go shopping during the offseason. There is a lot of experienced talent in the transfer portal, and it gives any team the opportunity to build something special ahead of the season.
The Oklahoma football team is certainly one that needed a big offseason in the transfer portal, and so far, the Sooners have had success. After a 6-7 season last year, Brent Venables needs to lead his team to a big year. Outside of the 10-win season in 2023, the Sooners have finished 6-7 in the other two seasons.
So far, this offseason has been extremely successful for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma football team. The Sooners did lose 34 players to the portal, but they added 21 players as well. They have also brought in some of the best transfers in the country. Some of the most notable players that Oklahoma has brought in are quarterback John Mateer and running back Jadyn Ott.
The Sooners have brought in some good talent, but they don't need to be done yet. It is late in the cycle and Oklahoma might be done shopping, but if not, here a few players to take a look at:
Cortez Braham Jr., WR, Nevada
One position of need for the Oklahoma football team in the spring transfer portal was wide receiver, and they have done a good job of filling that void. However, Cortez Braham Jr. is a very intriguing transfer. After starting his career at West Virginia, he transferred to Nevada ahead of the 2024 season. Braham Jr. ended up having a big season as he hauled in 56 receptions for 724 yards and four touchdowns. He has a lot of experience and talent.
Markevious Brown, CB, Purdue
Markevious Brown is another player at a position of need that has a lot of experience. He has played four seasons of college football, and all have been at the power four level. Brown started his career at Ole Miss before transferring to Purdue, and he has put up some good numbers at both schools. His most impressive season came with the Boilermakers in 2023. Brown finished the year with 45 total tackles, five passes defended, two forced fumbles and one sack.
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Brown is the type of player that coaches like to see in the transfer portal. He has had success at the power four level and he has a lot of experience. That is a good mix that typically results in success.
Nathan Leacock, WR, Tennessee/Purdue
One player that doesn't quite have the experience but could still be a good option is wide receiver Nathan Leacock. Leacock started his career at Tennessee last season, but after a quiet year, he decided to transfer to Purdue. His stint with the Boilermakers didn't last long as he is now back in the transfer portal. This would be more of a risk for the Oklahoma football team, but Leacock originally landed at an SEC school for a reason. He has a lot of potential.
Transfer portal overview
One of the biggest parts of the college football offseason is the transfer portal, and the festivities begin before the offseason actually starts. Teams that don't qualify for the postseason have entered their offseason when the portal first opens, but there are a lot of teams that still have bowl games/playoff games to play. The transfer portal opened up for the first time on December 9th, so it created some issues for players that want to transfer but still have a season going.
The transfer portal is a massive part of college football now, and there are definitely positives and negatives to it. One of the biggest issues that people have with it is the timing of the first window. It is open in early December so players can pick a new school and start the next semester there when January rolls around. However, it does create issues as we have seen players this past season on College Football Playoff teams have to miss out on the opportunity to participate in the CFP because of their transfer.
On the flip side, the transfer portal gives teams a chance to completely rebuild their squad in just one offseason. New head coaches can come in and bring in a lot of experienced players from the jump, and it can make for a quick turnaround. Any team has hope in the offseason because of the transfer portal.
The transfer portal opened up for the first time this season on December 9th and it stayed open until December 28th. This window is the main window where a lot of the action takes place, but the transfer portal is open during the spring as well.
From April 16th until April 25th, the transfer portal will be open. That way, players can go through spring ball and have a better idea of what their upcoming season will look like. If they aren’t satisfied, they can leave. We even sometimes see players that transferred in the first window transfer again in the second window, sometimes back to their original school.
The transfer portal is a crucial part of the offseason, and we will be hearing a lot about it from now until the end of the spring.
