Oklahoma took action Sunday to address some of its early season struggles by firing offensive coordinator Seth Littrell a day after the Sooners’ 35-9 home loss to South Carolina.
247Sports’ Sooner Illustrated reported the news of Litrell’s firing with the Sooners attempting to find a way to fix an offense that has totaled just eight touchdowns in five games against power conference competition and ranks No. 107 nationally in scoring offense averaging 22.1 points per game. The loss to the Gamecocks dropped Oklahoma to 1-3 in SEC play and 4-3 overall under Brent Venables this season.
Littrell was promoted to the offensive coordinator position prior to 2024 after one season working as an analyst for the staff in 2023. Jeff Lebby’s exit to become the head coach of Mississippi State left a vacancy on Venables’ staff, and promoting Littrell was seen as a way to establish some continuity with the success the offense had seen under Lebby’s direction. Also, Littrell won a national championship with the Sooners as a fullback and carries a lengthy resume of being associated with productive offenses as an assistant and head coach. Given the talent in the quarterback room with Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr. the decision made sense at the time, but the results have reflected a steep drop-off from the success of last year’s offense.
Oklahoma has gone from being one of the nation’s top-five scoring offenses (41.7 points per game in 2023) to having one of the 30 worst scoring offenses, the Sooners ineffectiveness offensively has created opportunities in games for opponents to put a game out of reach. When Texas and South Carolina built sizable leads in the two most recent losses for Oklahoma, both teams were able to hold serve without facing any threat of a comeback.
“You’re going to have some ups and downs,” Littrell said Saturday after the loss to South Carolina, according to 247Sports. “That’s why when things are great, you better humble yourself. At the end of the day, it can go sideways real quick. Again, coaching is challenging, whether you’re having success or not, it’s right around the corner; you’re a fine line away, whether it’s injuries, you’re a fine line away from the wrong locker room, the wrong character — I’ve seen a lot of different things over the years…. This is my alma mater. Obviously, I want to win championships here, just like everybody else, and just like every other coach and every other player in the locker room, that means a lot to me.”
Oklahoma will play at Ole Miss on Saturday in Week 9. Per 247Sports, co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley is expected to take over the play-calling duties for the offense moving forward.
