Boy, talk about putting someone on blast! NFL veteran and analyst Smoke Dixon just didn’t hold back when he laid into Oklahoma’s quarterback John Mateer and head coach Brent Venables. His message? Get tough or get out!
NFL Vet Blasts John Mateer and Brent Venables
Let’s be real—Oklahoma football isn’t exactly thrilled with just seven wins, right? That’s like serving Hamburger Helper at a steakhouse. Dixon made it crystal clear on the 247Sports podcast that the honeymoon phase is over in Norman.
“We didn’t bring you here to go back to seven wins,” Dixon fired off, practically jumping through the microphone. “We’re bringing you over because that schedule is tough and we need toughness to provide wins.”
Oklahoma is in WIN NOW mode.
You don’t pay people big bucks to do the job tomorrow. You pay them to do the job today.
Jim Nagy brought in John Mateer to win games this season. 7 wins would be a failure. pic.twitter.com/fuBuN9Ua7g
— Smoke Dixon (@CoachGVDixon) May 2, 2025
You can almost feel Sooners fans nodding their heads in agreement. After all, this is Oklahoma we’re talking about—not some middling program happy to make a bowl game.
Look, Mateer wasn’t brought to Norman to be average. The guy was a stud at Washington State last season—3,139 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, only seven picks, plus another 826 yards and 15 scores on the ground. Those are video game numbers!
And get this—Oklahoma didn’t just snag Mateer; they grabbed his offensive coordinator too. Talk about a package deal! It’s like buying a Ferrari and getting the mechanic who knows all its quirks.
“You got Jim Nagy there for a reason,” Dixon pointed out. “You were close on the defensive side last year, you just needed some offensive pieces, especially at QB. So, we went out and got you the best quarterback with his offensive coordinator to come over; the continuity is there.”
Poor Venables, though. The guy must be feeling the heat like a Texas sidewalk in August. After two “meh” seasons, Pat Forde didn’t sugarcoat it on the College Football Enquirer podcast: “It hasn’t been good so far for Venables… the transition into the SEC has been challenging.”
Some folks even whisper that it’s “win or clean out your office” time for the head coach. Yikes!
Remember when coaches got 3-4 years to build their program? Yeah, those days are as gone as flip phones and dial-up internet.
Dixon broke it down perfectly: “The way that we used to look at everything of give me a couple of years was the whole school way of high school recruiting and not paying for a play. When I pay you to do a job, I’m not asking you to do the job tomorrow. I’m asking you to do the job today.”
With NIL deals and the transfer portal turning college football into NFL Lite, programs like Oklahoma aren’t in the patience business anymore. They’ve brought in Jim Nagy with his NFL experience to evaluate talent like a pro team would—you’re either “NFL capable” or you’re not cutting it.
It’s simple math. Oklahoma has dropped serious cash and resources to compete at the highest level. Now they want returns faster than a bad Christmas gift.
KEEP READING: CFB Insider Explains Why Oklahoma’s New QB John Mateer Could Be the Breakout Star in 2025
As the 2025 season creeps closer, Mateer and Venables are squarely under the microscope. Like a drumbeat, Dixon’s message echoes through Norman: “We need toughness to provide wins.”
Ball’s in your court, gentlemen.
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