“Jim Nagy Fires Back After Oklahoma’s Preseason Snub, Citing Revamped Roster Depth and SEC-Ready Talent”
The college football world thrives on rankings, polls, and preseason projections. Every August, talking heads and national pundits craft narratives around which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. This year, one of the biggest surprises came when the Oklahoma Sooners—a team with historic pedigree, a respected coaching staff, and a revamped roster—were largely overlooked by several major preseason polls. For many in Norman, the omission was seen as an insult. For one prominent voice in the NFL scouting world, it was seen as ignorance.
Jim Nagy, Executive Director of the Senior Bowl and one of the most respected talent evaluators in football, didn’t mince words when he responded to the media’s snub of Oklahoma. In a fiery statement made on social media and later expanded during a radio interview, Nagy expressed confusion and frustration over how the Sooners could be so casually dismissed by analysts who, in his view, aren’t paying close enough attention to the talent brewing in Brent Venables’ locker room.
“Anybody sleeping on Oklahoma in 2025 is making a huge mistake,” Nagy said. “This is not the same team from two or three years ago. The roster’s deeper. The talent is SEC-ready across the board. And more importantly, they’ve got pros—real pros—at multiple levels. I don’t care what a preseason magazine says. I care what the film says. And the film says Oklahoma is coming.”
Nagy, a former NFL scout with decades of experience, isn’t known for hyperbole. His job requires objectivity. The Senior Bowl, which he oversees, has become the gold standard for evaluating NFL Draft prospects outside of the Combine. Every year, his team dives deep into game film, player profiles, and program development. So when he speaks, NFL teams—and increasingly, college football fans—listen.
This summer, Nagy spent time evaluating Oklahoma’s roster ahead of the 2026 Senior Bowl and came away with a clear takeaway: the Sooners are not only talented—they’re overlooked.
“They’ve got a couple guys who are going to be Day 1 or Day 2 picks,” Nagy noted. “And then you’ve got this sophomore and junior class that’s been developing under Venables’ system, and it’s night and day compared to what people think. I get it—Oklahoma’s been in transition. But you’d be foolish not to see the direction they’re heading.”
The “transition” Nagy is referring to began in 2021 when Lincoln Riley left for USC and Venables, a defensive-minded leader with deep Oklahoma ties, returned to Norman to stabilize and rebuild the program. The early years were rocky. A 6–7 finish in 2022 raised questions about the direction of the program. But since then, Oklahoma has slowly constructed one of the most balanced and deep rosters in the country.
And that’s what Nagy wants people to see.
“You can’t judge a program like Oklahoma off a single season or a narrow win-loss record,” he said. “You have to look at recruiting. Development. Staff continuity. Depth at key positions. Oklahoma has all of that now. And now that they’re heading into the SEC full time, I think they’re going to shock a lot of people.”
The Sooners officially begin full SEC play in 2025, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Critics have suggested that Oklahoma’s previous dominance in the Big 12 won’t translate to the brutal week-to-week grind of the Southeastern Conference. But Nagy pushes back on that idea hard.
“They’ve recruited at an SEC level for years. They’ve had SEC-type athletes on both sides of the ball. The issue was consistency and depth. That’s no longer a problem,” he said. “This isn’t about logo bias. It’s about substance. They’ve got dogs now.”
Among the players Nagy highlighted was senior offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, a 6’7”, 325-pound monster who has quietly developed into one of the best linemen in the nation. According to Nagy, Guyton has first-round tools and has improved his footwork and hand placement significantly.
“He’s got prototypical size and elite athleticism,” Nagy said. “NFL scouts already love him. He could be a top-15 pick if he stays healthy and keeps progressing.”
Another standout is linebacker Danny Stutsman, who returned for his senior year after flirting with the NFL Draft. Stutsman, who led the team in tackles last season, has become the emotional and physical anchor of the defense. Nagy believes Stutsman is exactly the kind of tone-setter SEC defenses are built around.
“He’s instinctive, he hits like a truck, and he knows the system inside and out,” Nagy noted. “You can’t teach his motor. He’s going to play on Sundays, no question.”
But beyond individual stars, Nagy pointed to Oklahoma’s increased overall depth—particularly at quarterback, defensive line, and in the secondary. Sophomore QB Jackson Arnold, a former five-star recruit, has taken control of the offense and impressed coaches with his poise, leadership, and arm talent.
“Arnold might not be on everyone’s Heisman radar yet, but he will be,” Nagy predicted. “The kid has every tool you need, and he’s only scratching the surface. With the weapons they’ve surrounded him with, it’s going to be fun to watch.”
Nagy also cited the Sooners’ improved defensive line rotation, led by transfers and homegrown talent alike. In previous seasons, Oklahoma struggled to close games due to lack of size and fatigue in the trenches. That issue, Nagy said, is largely resolved.
“They’re finally two- or three-deep at defensive tackle,” he explained. “That’s what you need in the SEC. They’ve got guys who can hold gaps, rush the passer, and rotate without drop-off. That’s big-time.”
Still, despite the improvements, Oklahoma was ranked outside the top 10 in multiple major preseason polls and omitted entirely from a few early playoff projections. It’s that oversight that lit the fire under Nagy’s comments.
“I don’t get how you leave them off entirely,” he said. “You’ve got teams in there that haven’t beaten anybody or have massive questions at quarterback. Meanwhile, Oklahoma brings back leaders, has talent, has coaching continuity, and now has SEC-ready depth. What more do you want?”
Fans have responded to Nagy’s defense with overwhelming support. His comments have circulated widely among Oklahoma circles on social media, with hashtags like #NagyKnows and #SoonerBuilt trending regionally. Many see his words as validation of what insiders have been saying all summer: that Brent Venables and his staff have quietly built something special.
Venables himself hasn’t commented directly on the snub or Nagy’s remarks, but his actions have done the talking. The team’s practices have been closed and tightly run. The messaging from inside the program has been focused, disciplined, and full of intent.
“We don’t need outside noise to motivate us,” one assistant coach said. “But we also don’t mind it. If people want to overlook us, let them. That’s fine. We’ll let our play speak.”
And that’s exactly what Nagy is betting on.
“They’re not just a good story,” he said. “They’re a real football team. And come October and November, a lot of the people who left them off these lists are going to be scrambling to explain why.”
The Sooners open the season with a manageable non-conference slate before jumping into the deep end of the SEC pool. Early matchups against Texas and LSU will offer immediate answers to lingering questions. But if the roster is as deep and battle-ready as Nagy insists, the Sooners won’t just survive the transition—they might just thrive in it.
Nagy concluded his defense with a simple reminder: “You don’t win national titles in August. You win them in December and January. And Oklahoma, from where I sit, is built to be there.”
Whether that prophecy comes true remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Oklahoma is no longer quietly rebuilding. They’re loaded, overlooked, and as of this week, backed by one of the NFL’s most respected eyes.
If that’s not reason to watch closely, what is?
