Jim Nagy Claps Back at Oklahoma’s Preseason Snub, Highlighting Rebuilt Roster, Depth Across the Board, and SEC-Caliber Talent Ready to Make Noise

Jim Nagy, the Executive Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl and one of college football’s most respected evaluators, isn’t known for being overly reactive to media narratives. But even he couldn’t hold back after seeing Oklahoma snubbed from several preseason rankings heading into the 2025 college football season. The Sooners, who are preparing for their first full season in the Southeastern Conference, were noticeably left out of several preseason top-25 lists and have faced widespread skepticism from national analysts about their ability to compete in college football’s toughest league.

But to Nagy, that doubt is not only unwarranted — it’s outright disrespectful.

In a response that quickly gained traction across college football circles, Nagy fired back at the critics by praising the overhaul and transformation taking place in Norman under head coach Brent Venables. He emphasized that this is not the same Oklahoma program that struggled with inconsistency and defensive woes just a couple of years ago. In fact, Nagy pointed to the Sooners’ revamped depth chart, explosive athleticism, and growing collection of NFL-level talent as key reasons the program is being drastically underestimated.

Nagy, who has made a career out of scouting college players and projecting their potential at the next level, has access to film, data, and coaching insight that most fans and analysts never see. His evaluations aren’t based on hype — they’re grounded in technique, performance metrics, growth trajectories, and player development. And in the case of Oklahoma, Nagy is seeing something the rest of the country might be missing.

“The roster has real depth now,” Nagy noted in a recent post that ignited a wave of conversation among Sooners fans. “They’ve been recruiting and developing at a high level, and it shows up when you watch the tape. There are future pros on both sides of the ball.”

That’s a powerful endorsement from someone whose entire job revolves around projecting which college players will succeed in the NFL. If Nagy is impressed, there’s usually a very good reason.

In recent years, Oklahoma has been typecast as a program built purely on offense — a place where quarterbacks and wide receivers thrive, but where defense is more of a suggestion than a priority. While that reputation was earned during the final years of the Lincoln Riley era, Venables has spent the past few seasons systematically breaking down and rebuilding the culture and identity of Oklahoma football. The goal? To compete and win in the SEC, where size, depth, physicality, and defense are not optional — they are mandatory.

Nagy sees the fruits of that effort beginning to pay off.

“They’ve got SEC-ready players now,” he said. “You can see it on the defensive line, the secondary, the linebacker room. These guys are bigger, faster, more disciplined, and they’re playing with an edge.”

That statement reflects a broader shift in the national perception of Oklahoma under Venables, who inherited a team in transition and immediately went to work rebuilding it from the inside out. His focus on defense, toughness, and player development may not have produced instant gratification in the win-loss column, but it has fundamentally reshaped the Sooners into a program that looks more like Alabama or Georgia than the Big 12 juggernaut they used to be.

Recruiting has also played a major role. In each of the last two cycles, Oklahoma has brought in top-10 classes filled with blue-chip talent across every position group. More importantly, those recruits are staying, developing, and competing — creating a level of internal competition and depth that simply didn’t exist three or four years ago.

Players like linebacker Danny Stutsman, defensive back Billy Bowman Jr., and edge rusher PJ Adebawore have been singled out not just for their raw athleticism, but for their instincts, football IQ, and physical toughness. Nagy’s team at the Senior Bowl has consistently praised Oklahoma’s player development under Venables and his staff — and for a program once knocked for being “soft” on defense, that shift is massive.

It’s also critical for success in the SEC.

As Oklahoma prepares to navigate a brutal 2025 schedule that includes games against LSU, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas, the need for roster depth and elite-level physicality cannot be overstated. No team can survive the SEC gauntlet with just a few stars at the top — it takes 85 players who are physically and mentally tough, smart, and hungry. According to Nagy, Oklahoma is finally getting there.

“They’re building it the right way,” he said. “It might not show up in flashy headlines just yet, but people inside the game can see it. They’re coming.”

And that’s perhaps the most important part of Nagy’s message: This Oklahoma team might not get the respect they deserve in August, but come November — or even sooner — they’re going to be a problem.

The Sooners’ quarterback situation also deserves more attention than it’s getting. After Dillon Gabriel’s departure, Oklahoma is placing its future in the hands of Jackson Arnold, one of the most decorated quarterback recruits in recent memory and a player with all the physical tools to thrive in the SEC. Arnold, who got a taste of action last year, has reportedly made major strides in decision-making, mechanics, and leadership. He’s supported by a strong offensive line unit and an emerging group of receivers and backs, giving the Sooners offensive balance and versatility.

But it’s the defense that really has Nagy — and others in the scouting community — paying attention. For the first time in years, Oklahoma has legitimate difference-makers at every level of the defense. Up front, they boast edge rushers who can collapse pockets and interior linemen who can plug gaps against the run. At linebacker, they have speed and sideline-to-sideline range. And in the secondary, they have length, ball skills, and physicality.

That’s the formula for winning in the SEC — and it’s exactly what Venables has been working toward since day one.

Still, the preseason disrespect is loud. National analysts continue to predict Oklahoma will finish in the bottom half of the SEC in their first full season in the league. Some have gone so far as to project a losing record. The lack of respect feels familiar to Oklahoma fans, who’ve seen their team doubted before — but rarely like this.

Nagy, who doesn’t often involve himself in team narratives, clearly felt compelled to push back this time.

“You can’t judge this team based on the past,” he wrote. “This is a different roster, a different coaching approach, and a different level of buy-in. These guys are for real.”

That statement resonated not just with fans, but with players and recruits as well. In today’s college football landscape — where perception drives everything from playoff selection to recruiting battles — having a respected voice like Nagy back your program can be a game-changer.

And Nagy isn’t alone. Quietly, a growing number of NFL scouts and college insiders are starting to echo the same sentiment: Oklahoma is being overlooked. They might not win the SEC in year one, but they’re going to punch people in the mouth. They’re going to win games that surprise people. And they’re going to prove that their move to the SEC wasn’t just about money or prestige — it was about becoming the best.

This transformation wasn’t designed to make noise in preseason polls — it was designed to last. Venables and his staff have committed to building a program that can sustain excellence for years to come, not just steal a few headlines and flame out. And with the amount of young talent on the roster, the future looks even brighter.

In the end, Nagy’s message wasn’t just about proving the critics wrong — it was about recognizing the work being done in Norman and respecting the process of a program that’s reinventing itself. In a sport where narratives are often written before the season even begins, his words served as a reminder that true evaluation goes deeper than headlines and power rankings.

As the season approaches, the Sooners have every reason to feel confident — not because the media believes in them, but because people like Jim Nagy, who evaluate football at its core, see what’s really happening.

And that might be more powerful than any preseason poll.