Sooners' coordinators Seth Littrell, Joe Jon Finley and Seth Littrell are joined by Drake Stoops, Billy Bowman, Ethan Downs and McKade Mettauer at Alamo Bowl Media Day on Dec. 26, 2023.
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00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:03 >> Ryan Aver from the Oklahoma, Seth, wanted to ask you, how have you evolved as
00:08 a coach over the last year with the experience you've had since you left
00:12 North Texas?
00:13 >> Well, I think just being with a great staff, Coach Vettables and
00:17 this group, understanding the culture and all the hard work they put in here.
00:22 Just being able to sit back and really observe for
00:26 this past year has been really refreshing, it's helped me grow not only
00:31 as a coach but as a person, and I feel like that getting a really good
00:37 sense of what we did offensively here, the way we played.
00:42 I thought Coach Levy did a phenomenal job along with a ton of great coaches in that
00:47 room, just being around them every day, you're gonna learn and you're gonna grow.
00:49 And it's been a blessing for
00:51 me just to have that opportunity this year.
00:54 >> And as a follow up, how important have the last few weeks been to sort of
00:59 getting the ball rolling on what this offense is going to look like in 2024?
01:04 >> Well, I'll tell you, it's been very fast over the past few weeks,
01:08 having gone from not knowing exactly what I was doing after the season,
01:12 to going out on the road recruiting, to the transfer portal, to bowl practices,
01:16 to bowl prep.
01:18 Trying to get on the same page with all the coaches during this time has been very
01:21 challenging, but we got a very hard working crew.
01:25 The great thing about our situation we have, we have great players,
01:30 very experienced players that know how to go out and make plays.
01:33 And so as of right now, it's just keeping it the way we've been doing things.
01:39 Terminology is not changing,
01:41 the offense that we're running will stay consistent to what we've done throughout
01:44 the year.
01:45 And then we can look up after the season and
01:48 figure out what we need to do moving forward as adjustments and
01:52 kind of evolving and how we grow.
01:55 But this isn't time for that, this is a time for these guys to go out there and
01:58 play fast and have that camaraderie together.
02:01 >> Front.
02:03 >> Right there.
02:05 >> Jesse Grenin, OU Insider.
02:09 Seth, I wanted to ask you about Jackson Arnold.
02:11 He mentioned a few days ago that you guys kind of learned the offense together back
02:15 in the spring.
02:15 Maybe just how's your relationship with him grown and
02:18 maybe what have the last couple weeks been like in terms of maybe working
02:20 a little bit more closely with him?
02:22 >> It's been awesome.
02:22 Jackson's a phenomenal young man, extremely hard worker.
02:26 He's gonna put in all the time that it takes to prepare the right way each and
02:30 every week, even though he wasn't the starter at most of those games this year.
02:34 So like I told him, we're both getting our first start together.
02:38 So it'll be an amazing time, no one better to do it with.
02:42 But like I told him, we got great playmakers around us,
02:46 great coaches around us that are gonna make plays for us too.
02:50 And so our job is to work as hard as we can and collaborate with everybody else and
02:55 do our job, make the plays and manage the game that we're supposed to.
02:59 And let the guys around us make huge plays for us as well.
03:03 >> Next question, front please.
03:05 >> George Stoyos, Soonerscoop.com.
03:09 For Seth and Joe John, you guys both come from kind of different coaching trees,
03:14 Air Raid for you, Seth, Spread for you, Joe John.
03:16 How do you guys, I guess,
03:18 plan to go about marrying those two concepts and working together?
03:21 >> Yeah, just working with Seth all year long.
03:27 He's had a big influence on what we did anyways.
03:29 And so we'll continue to do what we've done and
03:33 then sprinkle in some of the things that he knows very well and
03:36 can coach very easily and let these guys make plays.
03:39 >> Yeah, for me, I think I've come from a lot of different backgrounds over
03:44 the years.
03:45 Just from the places I've been, I've had the great opportunity to be around a lot
03:49 of great coaches, a lot of great offensive minds.
03:51 And not just the head coaches I've worked for, but
03:53 a lot of the assistants as well.
03:55 So I've kind of evolved over the years to anywhere I've gone to
03:59 hopefully evolve in the system that fits our players, the strengths of our players.
04:05 And not so much around, some of it's gonna fit your personality, but
04:09 a lot of it year to year is gonna change depending on what you have,
04:13 who's the quarterback, what are your receivers running back.
04:16 So every year is a little bit different.
04:18 I think it's our job as coaches to put our players in the best situations to have
04:22 success.
04:23 And whatever that is, that's what we need to do.
04:26 So we are always evolving, always looking to get better.
04:29 But we have very similar backgrounds.
04:31 It's a lot closer than you would think.
04:33 And so that's one of the reasons I came to the University of Oklahoma,
04:37 just believed in what they were doing offensively.
04:39 It was very similar to what I was doing before
04:43 the past few years at North Texas.
04:47 And so it was just a great fit for me.
04:49 And just being able to learn and grow under this system,
04:52 a lot of the things that we were doing has really helped me
04:55 just evolve more into this system as well.
04:58 So it's been great.
04:59 >> Question front.
05:01 >> [INAUDIBLE]
05:07 >> Seth, Eric Bailey with the Tulsa World.
05:09 Seth, after Jeff left, how long did the process take for
05:13 you to be asked about, to accept this job?
05:16 And then also, did Brent talk a little bit about the coordinator system that he
05:20 did with Mike Stoops when they were here for so many years?
05:23 >> It's like dog years, I think, from the beginning of,
05:28 after our last game, through the recruiting cycle.
05:33 It wasn't long, I know there was a process.
05:36 Coach Venables is always gonna do his due diligence and
05:39 make sure that he has the right fit for his program and for our players.
05:44 And so, but we had conversations, and not only with us, but Joe and
05:49 I and our entire staff, and I think it's a collaborated effort
05:54 in order to get the right person, the right fit in there.
05:57 But after that, it wasn't too much longer.
06:00 Obviously, the way we do things as a coaching staff, and
06:04 offensively especially with Jeff, led me before, and now moving forward.
06:09 It's not gonna change.
06:10 We're all gonna help each other.
06:11 We're all gonna game plan together.
06:12 At the end of the day, on game day, someone calls it, someone,
06:17 but there's a lot of help in between.
06:18 Maybe in between series, maybe on a third down, a crucial third down,
06:22 someone's gonna speak up and say, we need to run this.
06:24 And that's why we do it together all week long.
06:27 I think people, sometimes, if you haven't been involved in it,
06:32 they make it a little bit too hard, who calls what and this.
06:35 Listen, we had great coaches, we got great players, and at the end of the day,
06:40 we're gonna do it together.
06:42 We're always gonna do it together as a collaborated effort, and our biggest
06:46 thing is have fun and make sure we go out there and we can execute what we're calling.
06:49 >> Question middle.
06:50 >> Yeah, this is for Joe, John, and Seth, both, John Hoover, all Sooners.
06:57 Brent talked a few weeks ago about the pride that you guys have being
07:01 former players coming back, coaching at your alma mater.
07:06 If you could expound on that, please, that would be great, just the amount of,
07:11 I guess, respect you have for the program,
07:13 the love that brought you here in the first place, that kind of thing.
07:15 >> Yeah, so for me, I've picked Oklahoma three times.
07:19 I've picked it as a player in '03, and then came back as a GA in 2012 and 13.
07:25 And then as soon as I got a call to come back here three years ago,
07:29 I couldn't get in the car fast enough, and my family's from here.
07:32 And man, I absolutely love University of Oklahoma because of the players that you
07:37 see sitting beside us, these guys have so many expectations on their back.
07:42 There's so many fans that want us to win every single game and
07:46 play perfect every single game.
07:47 And these guys do a great job of handling that, and
07:52 I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else.
07:53 I love the expectations, man.
07:55 I love playing in front of 85,000 every Saturday.
07:58 And I know what the expectations are.
08:01 And man, it's been so much fun this past month working with Seth and
08:04 the staff, just trying to get a plan together to let these guys go execute.
08:08 >> Yeah, for me, obviously, being born and raised here, my father played here, and
08:12 so that's all I ever knew growing up.
08:14 That was my dream growing up, and I remember laying in bed growing up, and
08:17 I told our players this story, kind of when I got hired.
08:21 My mom always sitting over there and telling me, I was gonna follow my father's
08:26 footsteps, have the opportunity to play for a national championship at Oklahoma.
08:30 And she said that a long time ago, and I would get so excited, and
08:33 then we would say our prayers at night.
08:34 And that's the honest God truth.
08:35 We'd pray on that, and she's been praying over that for my entire life.
08:39 And God's been good to us, and got the opportunity to come here and
08:42 play for a national championship and be a part of an unbelievable team.
08:46 And so this place obviously means everything to me.
08:50 I've been trying to get back here for 23 years.
08:52 And so, obviously, the place I wanna be,
08:56 I'm just as much of a fan as I am a coach.
09:00 I'm a huge fan of Oklahoma, and so I have high expectations of this program,
09:04 along with everybody sitting up here and everybody within our program.
09:07 And so we know the expectations, and hey,
09:10 we're gonna do everything we can to go out, compete, win championships.
09:17 But it's all about the coaches and players and the fans.
09:20 That's what makes this place so special, and I'm just glad to be home.
09:24 >> We'll go second row and then back.
09:27 >> Eli Letterman, sellout crowds for Seth and Joe John.
09:31 By the end of this, Jackson will have had, what, 15 bowl practices in a game.
09:35 What are the markers of growth over that time, taking the first team reps
09:39 that you'll be looking for Thursday, or maybe are already seeing in practice?
09:42 >> I think there's been a ton of growth.
09:44 I think Jackson's one of those guys that he's gonna compete every single day with
09:49 himself and get a day better.
09:50 And these players will be able to tell you a little bit more.
09:53 They're with him every single day in the locker room, the amount of work he puts in.
09:56 Obviously, you're gonna get more and more comfortable with more days of practice and
10:01 more reps with the first group.
10:03 And so, listen, Jackson's a phenomenal young man.
10:07 He loves competing.
10:10 He always goes out and plays with that chip on his shoulder.
10:13 And I definitely believe he's gonna be a special player.
10:17 But again, there's a ton of special players on this team.
10:22 And guys that are striving to get better each and every single day, one day better.
10:27 That's what we're here to do, and these guys go to work at it every single day.
10:31 It's not just Jackson, it's our entire group.
10:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]
10:37 >> All right, we are gonna break out after.
10:40 Players and Coach Roof, if any of you have any questions for them, please.
10:43 >> For the players and also the offensive coordinators,
10:47 when you look at Arizona's defense, what stands out to you?
10:49 I guess we'll start with you, Drake.
10:52 >> They're very disciplined.
10:57 They definitely know where they're supposed to be and where their help is and
11:02 how they can complement each other and their schemes.
11:04 And I mean, yeah, they just, I mean, they play sound.
11:09 They rally to the football, they play hard, they're real strong inside.
11:13 And on the back end, like I said, they're disciplined and
11:15 they're all really kind of playing together.
11:17 And so you gotta pick and choose when and where to attack.
11:21 [BLANK_AUDIO]
11:23 >> Okay, next question.
11:24 [BLANK_AUDIO]
11:27 Anybody for any of the players?
11:28 >> How about Drake?
11:31 We had one from social media about you sitting in that same seat probably two
11:34 years ago.
11:34 Have you kind of come up full circle moment from you and
11:37 how your growth in the offense?
11:39 >> Yeah, I remember sitting here two years ago and it's good to be back.
11:43 Hopefully we'll be back at the end of the game as well.
11:46 And yeah, I've just been working year in and year out,
11:50 trying to be a better player really every day.
11:52 And you're never too old to continue to learn and continue to grow.
11:56 And I feel like that's what I've done over the last two years.
11:59 And hopefully I'll be a very different player stepping into the Alabama Bull
12:03 this year than I was two years ago.
12:05 >> For Billy and Ethan, you guys are two of the only four guys left in that 2021
12:11 class heading into next year, I mean, what does that mean to you guys and
12:17 kind of taking on that leadership role as this program goes into the SEC?
12:23 >> What they say is right, when you come into college,
12:27 the same people are not gonna be there when you leave.
12:32 But being here, it shows the loyalty we have for this school,
12:37 for this program, for these teammates and coaches.
12:41 But just going into my senior year, obviously I wanna finish out on the right
12:45 note on my junior year with this last game we have.
12:48 But going into my senior year, man, it just went by in a blink of an eye.
12:52 Just yesterday, I feel like I just came in early to spring ball and
12:57 was going through spring ball, then fall camp, then started my freshman season.
13:01 But now that I'm starting to head into my senior season, I just feel like
13:06 it's big time to be able to be recognized and
13:10 be chosen to be up here as a leader of this team.
13:13 I'm just gonna continue to keep doing my best and whatever I can.
13:17 >> Yeah, it's an honor to be up here, like Billy was saying.
13:20 We've seen a lot of different coaches, and we've been a lot of different places.
13:25 And the expectation's always been the same, cuz that's what it's about.
13:29 So we know the standard, we know how to uphold it.
13:32 And we know what OU means, cuz like Billy said, we picked it from the beginning.
13:37 And we've been here, we've stayed here through all the chaos and
13:41 all the craziness of the last three years.
13:43 And now we're able to build it up as chosen leaders by our peers.
13:49 That was an honor.
13:50 It wasn't a coach's choice.
13:52 We picked a toll as a locker room who we want the leaders to be.
13:57 And when they said it was us, when I was chosen part of that group,
14:01 I teared up, started crying.
14:03 I was like, man, this is an honor, cuz this is stuff I dreamed about as a kid.
14:07 So getting to live that up, make the most of it.
14:10 Why not?
14:11 Why not be a leader?
14:12 Why not try to chase every dream and every goal and give it our very best?
14:17 So that's what we're doing, that's what we're here.
14:18 This is what's in front of us, attacking this week, head on.
14:22 And this is a championship, we gotta win.
14:26 >> Any other questions?
14:27 Let's go to the far left.
14:28 >> Going off of that, Ethan, when you look at coming back and
14:38 I'm trying to remember what I was gonna ask.
14:43 But being one of those leaders, being one of those guys that's coming back,
14:49 you kind of started it.
14:51 It was you, you said you're coming back, and then Billy did, and then Danny did,
14:54 and DJ, and Jacob.
14:56 And what does that say to you about what Brent Venables has been able to do and
15:03 what he is accomplishing in terms of getting that culture to be
15:07 exactly where he wants to go moving forward?
15:09 >> I think he has evolved our mindset and
15:13 perspective on what it means to be a college football player.
15:17 And to understand that another year of development,
15:21 another year of growth with our teammates and aspirations to become a better person.
15:28 And whether that means becoming a future husband or father or
15:32 leader or employee anywhere, it's becoming our very best.
15:36 And that's the challenge he's given us.
15:37 So in football, it's things like becoming more disciplined,
15:40 becoming more dependable, knowing your job, being able to defend it, and
15:44 being able to teach others, and having a coach's mind out there.
15:48 And those are all things that each player should wanna attain,
15:50 cuz that's gonna make you play faster and more aggressive.
15:54 And another year of us with Schmidty, getting bigger and stronger, and
15:58 a brotherhood that we're building.
16:00 We've had three years together.
16:02 A lot of those guys in my class have decided to come back.
16:05 And even the guys in the next class coming back for fifth year,
16:09 a lot of us have really bought in this year and
16:12 decided that we have huge goals to strive for.
16:17 And we were inches away from getting it this year.
16:20 And compared to the year before, we understand it's a game of inches.
16:24 And to practice our disciplines every day to chase those inches so
16:30 that we will be in the playoffs next year.
16:32 So we have these dreams to chase cuz they're so close.
16:35 And buying into that dream as a whole class, as a group,
16:40 as leaders, is really amazing, it's special, it's not common.
16:45 >> Very good, couple more questions.
16:47 We got one on social media, Coach Roof, could you kinda talk about what you've
16:50 seen on film from that Arizona offense, I mean, after their 529 yards the last game?
16:54 >> Yeah, tremendous balance, both explosive plays in the run game and
16:59 the pass game.
17:00 There's no weakness, their offensive line as well, coach,
17:04 they know how they're protecting and also who to target in the run game.
17:10 But the quarterback, he's pretty special.
17:14 Again, makes a lot of plays with his arm, but
17:17 also has the ability to make plays with his legs as well and extend plays.
17:21 And you can just feel, as you watch the tape,
17:24 you sense a sense of confidence and belief that they have in him.
17:28 And again, with the talent they have at the receiver position and
17:31 the running back position, they've all tied in the throwing game.
17:34 So a lot of balance, but a lot of explosive plays.
17:38 >> Very good, any more questions from the field?
17:40 All right, well, thank you today for coming.