Dean's List: Big Positive But A Question Mark In Hire Of New Sooners' Offensive Coordinators

I’ve confirmed George Stoia's tweet reporting that Brent Venables has decided to hire Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley as the Oklahoma Sooners co-offensive coordinators to replace Jeff Lebby, who followed Lincoln Riley. Who followed Josh Heupel.

Objectively, two viewpoints:

A big positive of the Littrell, Finley hire is that it should help calm the waters and limit any current player or recruiting defections. And it helps keep the current system and most players in place.

Critically important, as I’ve repeatedly prioritized, OU’s potential superstar quarterback Jackson Arnold will stick with his plan of taking over in the 2024 season. That fact cannot be over-emphasized.

A question mark is whether hiring a former head coach who has not schemed or called plays for awhile and a tight end assistant with limited experience will be level par with the elite competition OU will face in its maiden voyage into the swift waters of the SEC -- specifically in scheming, play-calling, and recruiting.

The brief search is over. BV anticipated it for awhile. It’s the most convenient hire. And possibly best hire. But then again, maybe it isn’t.

And it won't take long to find out. We will all find out together. The answer to the $64,000 question has suddenly become a multi-million dollar one.

Batter up!