“Brent Venables Is Using His Head Coaching Powers to Make Sure That One Underrated Player Gets on the Field More During 2025”
Norman, Oklahoma – The 2025 Oklahoma Sooners football team is deep, talented, and brimming with high expectations. Head coach Brent Venables, entering his fourth full season at the helm, is pushing his roster harder than ever. Every position is competitive. Every rep counts. But behind the scenes of this championship-chasing machine, a quieter story is taking shape—one that has less to do with five-star recruits and national headlines, and everything to do with loyalty, belief, and the kind of coaching decision that defines a program’s culture.
Venables has never been one to play favorites. His track record speaks of a man who demands performance, character, and consistency above all else. Yet even in the hyper-competitive world of Power Five football, there are moments when a coach’s gut tells him something that the depth chart doesn’t. This season, that moment has arrived, and it centers around one underrated, overlooked, but undeniably talented player who is finally getting his shot.
That player is redshirt junior defensive back Malik “MJ” Williams—a name that may not have made national waves yet, but one that Brent Venables is determined to make resonate by season’s end.
Williams, a 6-foot, 193-pound safety from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, came into the Sooners program in 2021 as a quiet, under-the-radar recruit. Overshadowed in his recruiting class by flashier prospects and hampered early by injuries, he spent the majority of his first two seasons buried on the depth chart. Most fans only saw him on special teams—if at all. But coaches saw something different: a work ethic that never wavered, a football IQ that kept growing, and a relentless hunger to contribute. What he lacked in hype, he made up for with heart.
And Venables noticed.
“He’s the kind of player you root for, but also the kind of player you win with,” Venables said during spring practice. “He’s coachable, he’s resilient, and when he’s on the field, good things happen. We’ve got a locker room full of talent, but MJ brings an energy and presence that I want out there more. He’s earned that.”
Earned is the key word here.
Williams didn’t climb the ladder by default. His grind through the scout team, weight room, and late-night film sessions has become the stuff of internal legend among staff and teammates. Defensive backs coach Brandon Hall has often pointed to him as a “textbook example” of what persistence looks like.
“He’s never missed a workout, never skipped a rep, never complained once about where he stood,” Hall said. “He just showed up and competed. Every single day. And now it’s his time.”
What’s changed in 2025 isn’t just the perception of Williams—it’s how he’s being used. Venables, who has always taken a hands-on approach to defensive schemes, is actively adjusting packages to put Williams on the field more frequently. Whether it’s rotating him in as a hybrid nickel back, plugging him into certain dime formations, or expanding his special teams responsibilities, the coaching staff has made it clear: this is the year Malik Williams will matter.
That didn’t happen by accident. According to multiple insiders within the program, Venables specifically flagged Williams’ tape from last season during postseason evaluations and challenged his staff to “find reps” for him. Not charity reps. Meaningful ones. Reps that impact games.
“He wasn’t lobbying,” said one staffer. “He wasn’t trying to force anything. Coach V just saw something in the kid. He saw a guy who played smart, played physical, and made his teammates better. He kept saying, ‘MJ makes us better. Let’s treat him like it.’”
And now, that vision is becoming reality.
During summer camp scrimmages, Williams has been a quiet standout—breaking up passes, delivering sure tackles, and lining up his teammates with the authority of a veteran starter. Teammates describe him as “the voice you hear when things get loud” and “the guy who never needs the spotlight but always shows up when it’s hot.”
Quarterback Jackson Arnold, the new face of the Sooners offense, praised Williams’ instincts. “He’s sneaky smart. He baits you into throws you think are safe and then closes on the ball like a missile. You don’t want to test him twice.”
But for Williams, it’s not about revenge, validation, or a breakout campaign. It’s about gratitude. In an exclusive interview after practice last week, he was quick to deflect praise.
“I’m just thankful Coach V sees something in me,” Williams said, wiping sweat from his brow. “A lot of guys in my spot would’ve transferred by now. And yeah, I thought about it. But I believed in what we’re building here. I knew if I kept doing my part, something good would come of it.”
That belief, Venables said, is what separates Williams from the rest.
“In this era of college football, where the portal is open and instant gratification is everywhere, MJ is a throwback,” Venables said. “He stayed. He bought in. He kept his head down and trusted us. And now we’re going to trust him with more responsibility.”
There’s something deeply symbolic about the decision. Williams may not be the flashiest athlete on the roster, but his elevation sends a powerful message: at Oklahoma, effort and character still matter. It tells the locker room that the grind gets noticed. That loyalty is still rewarded. And that playing time isn’t just reserved for those who scream the loudest or tweet the most.
It’s also a strategic move. Williams brings a style of play that complements the rest of the defense well. He’s versatile enough to cover tight ends, physical enough to blitz off the edge, and smart enough to quarterback the secondary when needed. His communication and pre-snap recognition have improved dramatically over the last two seasons—something defensive coordinator Ted Roof calls “an X-factor we didn’t have enough of last year.”
And let’s be honest—the Sooners need X-factors. With their transition into the SEC now fully underway, Oklahoma faces a weekly gauntlet of elite offenses, punishing run games, and hostile road environments. They’ll need more than talent. They’ll need grit. Players who won’t shrink under pressure. Players who won’t get lost in the noise. Players like Malik Williams.
“I don’t know what the box score will say this year,” Venables said. “But I know MJ’s presence will be felt. You’re gonna feel him in the huddle, on the sideline, in the locker room. He’s one of our guys now. Not just a name on the roster. One of our guys.”
Still, the road ahead is long. Williams will be competing weekly to hold onto his increased role. Young recruits are always nipping at the heels of upperclassmen, and Oklahoma’s secondary is stacked with talent. But if anyone understands the value of staying ready, it’s him.
“I don’t take anything for granted,” Williams said. “Every snap I get is a blessing. I’m gonna play like it.”
And that mindset might be the Sooners’ secret weapon. As the spotlight shines on the usual stars and preseason hype builds around the team’s playoff potential, there’s a quiet confidence brewing in players like Williams—the ones who had to climb the long way up. The ones who fought for every inch. The ones who didn’t quit.
Brent Venables sees it. And now he’s using the one thing only a head coach can wield—his power—to ensure that Williams gets the opportunity he’s earned. Not as a favor. Not as a storyline. But because he makes the team better.
And at Oklahoma, that’s what matters most.
As practice winds down and the sun begins to set over the turf at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Venables lingers with his players—coaching, encouraging, correcting. He finds Williams, pats him on the helmet, and says something only they can hear. Williams nods, smiles, and jogs back into formation.
The underdog is no longer in the shadows.
