OU football coach Brent Venables 'anxious' to see more of Texas transfer Brenen Thompson
ARLINGTON, Texas — OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel didn’t know what to think when Texas wide receiver transfer Brenen Thompson arrived.
But it quickly became apparent that Thompson’s speed — he was a Texas high school state champion in the 200-meter dash — was off the charts.
”He’s the fastest dude I’ve seen and really technical in his route-running so I’m excited to see what he does,” Gabriel said Thursday at Big 12 media days.
Thompson, who had one 32-yard catch last season for the Longhorns as a freshman, figures to get an opportunity in a receiver group that outside of Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops has plenty of question marks.
“I’m anxious to get a chance to see him on the practice field and what we can do with him in our offense,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said. “A guy that I know a lot of people around college football thought a lot of coming out of Spearman (Texas) High School, so he brings a tremendous skill set and his best football is still in front of him.”
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Brent Venables says Thad Turnipseed made OU better
OU coach Brent Venables publicly addressed Thad Turnipseed’s departure for the first time Thursday.
Turnipseed, OU’s Executive Director of Football Administration, left the program in late June.
Venables said Turnipseed would return to South Carolina where his son-in-law was recently hired as the head strength coach at Anderson University.
“It’s bittersweet,” Venables said. “Incredibly excited for Thad. This was something that was just on his spirit to be a part of. … He’s got his first grandbaby on the way. This is a great situation for he and his family to be a part of that. Thad’s a different bird.”
Venables praised Turnipseed’s impact on the program.
“He made us better in every part of our program,” Venables said. “He’s always a thinker. His focus is always about being the best in everything. He made our facility — the one that we’re in currently. We doubled our size as a staff, we had to have somewhere to put them. So he kicked out walls, helped us create a war room and enhanced our recruiting operations.”
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OU football injury updates
Brent Venables said he was hopeful running back Jovantae Barnes and offensive lineman Jacob Sexton would return soon from injuries.
“Both of them are doing some running and cutting and that kind of stuff,” Venables said. “So no setbacks. We’re hoping that they’ll return to full speed here soon.”
Sexton suffered a knee injury in OU’s Cheez-It Bowl loss to Florida State after making his first career start in that game.
Barnes underwent surgery during the spring to fix a right foot injury that Venables said had been lingering from Barnes’ senior season in high school.
Barnes ran for 519 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman last season.
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Dillon Gabriel says Jackson Arnold making strides
Dillon Gabriel will be the Sooners’ starting quarterback in 2023, barring injury, but Jackson Arnold is widely considered to be OU’s future at the position.
Gabriel said he’s taking his role as Arnold’s mentor seriously, comparing it to what he experienced in his career — both in high school and at UCF — with McKenzie Milton.
“I just want to pay it forward because I had somebody who was respectful, loving, caring about giving the knowledge on to me,” Gabriel said. “So anything I can help, I want to pay it forward.”
Gabriel has been impressed with Arnold’s approach.
“He’s just been a sponge,” Gabriel said of Arnold. “You can appreciate that. Me being in that position four years ago, just soaking up all the knowledge I can, ultimately helped me moving forward. Seeing him have the same approach, he’s going to be just fine.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football: Brenen Thompson's speed making waves for Sooners
