NORMAN — Troy Everett was back home in Roanoke, Virginia, during spring game when it really hit him.
Oklahoma was just a handful of practices into the spring, but as he relaxed on the couch in his family’s home while going over some early-spring film, he looked up from his iPad and turned to his parents with a realization: This Oklahoma offense was night and day from last year’s—even at this early juncture of the offseason. That much was clear to the Sooners’ veteran center.
“This is definitely a different vibe than what we had last year,” Everett recalled telling his parents. “Everybody’s flying around. It’s explosive. Coaches are having fun. Players are having fun. It’s just a different energy.”
After the program’s worst offensive season in more than 25 years, Oklahoma’s offense has been infused with a new energy and a renewed optimism this spring. That’s largely thanks to the additions of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer, both of whom made the move from Washington State to Oklahoma back in December with a joint goal of revitalizing the Sooners’ offense.
The depths of Oklahoma’s offensive struggles last year were frustrating both inside the program and around its fanbase. The issues were layered: Seth Littrell turned out to be a disastrous hire as offensive coordinator and was fired midway through the season; the wide receiving corps was decimated by injuries; the offensive line played well below expectations while also navigating some injury issues; and Jackson Arnold’s confidence was shot as the quarterback position was somewhat of a revolving door.
