What the Sooners Said at 2026 SEC Media Days

TAMPA, Fla. — Oklahoma kicked off 2026 SEC Media Days on Monday, as head coach Brent Venables, redshirt senior quarterback John Mateer, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis and redshirt junior defensive lineman Taylor Wein represented the Sooners at the the Tampa Marriott Water Street in downtown Tampa.

Venables, Mateer, Pierre-Louis and Wein met with the media in various capacities for nearly five hours Monday. Segments of the day can be viewed on SECSports.com.

See highlights from the day below and via X and Instagram (@OU_Football) and Facebook (Oklahoma Football).

*this* close to football season ??@SEC | #SECMD26 pic.twitter.com/1RbZVw8h5Q
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) July 20, 2026

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Gallery: (7-19-2026) 2026 SEC Media Days

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Head Coach Brent Venables

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Last year you came in the season without a lot of hype on the team. This year quite a bit more. How did you use that to your advantage last year and how will you replicate it since the buzz about your chances are much higher?

"Yeah, I screen shot the list and stuff like that. Sometimes you use it, sometimes you don't. We're at the bottom of most lists. I don't know what lists are out there, but most of them.

"Listen, we focus on things that we can control. Do you ever use that as a motivation for a guy to maybe humble a guy? Absolutely. But at the end of the day this is a game of performance, this is a game that's about the work, and this is a game where it's decided on the field.

"As I said opening up, we've got a lot of work to do. We're not a very good team yet. We have a lot of foundational pieces that, as I said, we're really excited about. There's a tremendous eagerness. Learned a lot a year ago. Some of it's affirmation and belief.

"Where maybe a lot of people didn't pick us or talk highly of us a year ago going into the season, our ability to overcome that, to block out the noise, to focus on the things that we can control, improve and get better, figure out our identity as the season went along.

"There's a confidence and momentum that comes from the season as well, as well as the way the season ended, the disappointment. I think the hunger of this football team is there. The motivation to put themselves in the conversation down the road, the work it needs to do that.

"Try to be focused and rooted in our work, our preparation, our brotherhood, loyalty, the toughness it takes to win and do the things that winning requires."

Redshirt Junior Defensive Lineman Taylor Wein

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What should Oklahoma fans look forward to with this defense?
"Dudes flying around. We get 11 hats on the ball, you're doing a good job. And just consistency. There's a lot of areas of improvement that is needed to be this offseason, and we fell short in some categories last year.

"And one of those things was turnovers. We didn't have our first turnover, I think, until week five. And that's not the standard that we have at Oklahoma. And we had a really elite defense last year. And that's something we struggled with.

"Then finishing games. In the fourth quarter, our three losses, we struggled to finish games, and we've got to do a better job. We can't allow points in the fourth quarter.

"So those are just some weaknesses that we need to get better at."

Entering this year, stepping up into more of a leadership role, how have you found yourself in spring football and summer getting ready for that?

"As far as leadership, it's something that I feel like I've naturally kind of gotten acclimated to and I feel I've embraced it. It's really helped me as a player overall. Obviously there's always room for improvement and I just know I've got to continue to get better.

"But the biggest thing for me is just leaving this place better than how it was when I got here. Guys before me did a very good job of that. Guys like R Mason Thomas, Ethan Downs and all the guys that really poured into the system made us better as a D-end group. That's my goal. Pour into the young guys and so when it's their time and they're on the stage they're ready to go."

Redshirt Sophomore Offensive Lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis

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There has been a lot of talk from your teammates and your head coach this morning just about the leader you've grown into. How has the process been of you being where you are now as one of the loud guys in the room representing Oklahoma?

"Actually, when I first started, I wasn't very vocal. I just led by example of willing to work each and every day, just coming out to work. That's something that I overemphasized as well is, we just got to be there, really, to work.

"It's been getting better over time. Like now, I've been able to be more vocal and talk a lot more to my guys.

"It's been, at first it was definitely uncomfortable, but now I've been getting to that point where it's more comfortable and I've been able to hold it a lot better. So, definitely it's been good."

You mentioned you were 7 years old when you really took to the Sooners. What was it about you at that age that Oklahoma was so appealing?

"I actually saw them on TV, and I was just a football kid. I saw them on TV. That red just lit up to me. I saw the passion that they had when they were playing a game. So that was something that I wanted to be a part of. I just kept working for it."

Redshirt Senior Quarterback John Mateer

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What is your leadership style? If somebody does well, what might you say? And if somebody has an issue, how would you respond?

"Good question. I've raised my intensity -- we need to be better, I need to be better. For that to happen, we need to be better. For the team to be better, we need to be better.

"When the mental errors come around, you let them hear it a little bit. But there's a fine line. And I think I'm only able to do that because when they succeed, I try to do my best and give them their praise because they all deserve it because there's a lot of guys doing a lot of good things.

"And then I hate to -- you can't get on to somebody if you don't have a relationship with them. So you have to establish that first.

"The whole winter, the whole spring, you're not just snapping on people because then they won't respect you. So you need the respect and then you can go back and forth. You talk to them. And you never want to just get on to somebody just to get on them because some people do it, it's like a reflection of themselves.

"That's never the goal. It's always about the team and we need to be better. So that's what I try to do."

You're standing in the tunnel waiting to follow the Sooner Schooner onto the field. What's the one thing that's giving you goosebumps right then?

"As a kid, you grow up and you dream of being in that situation. I try to stay where my feet are. But sometimes you realize the opportunity that you're given. It's coolest thing to have Boomer Sooner going back and forth and the Schooner running out. There's nothing like it. You work all year for it. I'm super excited for September 4th."

12 games. 12 opportunities for the Sooners. ??#CFP @OU_Football pic.twitter.com/8rz4RaOlP9
— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) July 20, 2026