The Oklahoma football team is just a few weeks away from getting their 2024 season started, and it is a big one as it is their first year in the SEC. One thing that should be a strength for the Sooners this year is the safety position. Led by Billy Bowman, this should be one of the best units that Oklahoma has. They also signed four players at the position in last year's recruiting class. All in all, the Sooners have a lot of guys competing for spots in camp.
Camp is underway and depth charts will be finalized soon. In the next month, Oklahoma football players will have to prove that they belong. There is a lot of competition happening, and head coach Brent Venables wants to make sure that his guys have the right mindset about everything.
“I like guys wanting to compete,” Brent Venables said this past weekend, according to an article from Football Scoop. “I don't want guys satisfied being behind another guy. That's the wrong mindset, the wrong attitude, the exact opposite of what we want from our guys. I want ambitious, driven, ‘I want to run out there first' (players). That should mean something to those guys, and it does.”
Brent Venables wants his guys to have the right mindset about competition, and it sounds like they do. He noted that it does mean something for them, and that likely indicates that all of these guys are hungry to earn starting roles. This is especially important at the safety position as the Sooners need to get rid of that Big 12 defense in the SEC. Competition will be harder in their new conference, and Oklahoma needs to be ready for it.
Oklahoma football competitions are respectful
Another important aspect of these position battles for Brent Venables is respect. Obviously, these guys all want to outperform each other, but having respect for your teammates is crucial for a good culture. Even if someone doesn't win a position battle, they should be rooting for that starter to have success.
“But at the same time, they've got great respect and love and appreciation for one another, and for me that's where the real growth happens,” Venables said. “Where they're not looking over their shoulder, they're confident in themselves. That's all led by Billy; Billy's done a great job with those guys.”
It sounds like Billy Bowman has done his job in terms of being a leader and making sure that the culture is in good shape within the Oklahoma football program. That is also a good sign that his teammates respect him, as it is clear that his head coach does.
There are a lot of talented players that Oklahoma has at the safety position, and we will be able to see them in action soon as the season is right around the corner. The Sooners will kick off the season on Friday, August 30th and it will be a home night game against Temple. Oklahoma should be able to get the season started out with a win in that one.
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