Oklahoma expects to fire Ben Arbuckle: Sooner to part ways with OC as offense continues to stutter through 2026 season

Oklahoma is expected to fire offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle in his second season, sources confirmed to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. The Sooners suffered a brutal 42-25 loss to South Carolina on Saturday at home, where Oklahoma was held to three points on offense in the first half.

Arbuckle, 31, was an innovative recruit coming out of Washington State, where he helped lead one of college football’s most explosive offenses. He was hired by Oklahoma in 2024 and brought in starting quarterback John Mateer, the No. 3 quarterback in the transfer portal that year.

After an inconsistent freshman season marred by Mateer’s hand injury, Oklahoma’s offense fell off in year two. The Sooners rank 15th in the SEC in total offense and offense, despite putting up multiple scores on defense and special teams.

Arbuckle’s firing continues a revolving door of offensive personnel changes under coach Brent Venables, whose production has dropped dramatically since Jeff Lebby left for Mississippi State. Venables fired Seth Littrell after seven games of his first season in 2024, and also fired several assistant coaches after the 2025 season.

The Sooners are heading into their third losing season in five years under Venables and are in serious danger of missing their first bowl game since John Blake’s final season in 1998. Oklahoma is 4-4 with No. 12 Ole Miss, No. 19 Missouri and No. 25 Florida in the coming weeks.

Mateer’s misfortunes

Transfer quarterback Mateer was touted as a potential game-changing addition after Oklahoma’s quarterback woes in 2024. The Sooners limped through the season with five-star starter Jackson Arnold and true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. both transferring out of the program.

There were flashes early in Mateer’s career, including throwing for 270 yards, rushing for 74 yards and scoring three total touchdowns against No. 15 Michigan in 2025. But since his hand surgery a year ago, Mateer has been miserable.

Mateer finished last season with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions this year, although his rushing has been limited to 1.7 yards per carry. In a 21-13 loss to Kentucky, Mateer threw a touchdown and three interceptions.

Oklahoma thought it only had one quarterback left, but making a change only led to even more miserable results.

The problems run deeper

Arbuckle has struggled to remake Oklahoma’s offense in his image, but the problems go much deeper than the game. The Sooners have been a horrible offensive line operation for most of the last five years, and the consequences have only gotten worse.

The Sooners rank 131st in the nation with 3.2 yards per carry and have scored the nation’s three worst rushing touchdowns. Oklahoma is ranked as the No. 105 run-blocking unit in the country according to Pro Football Focus, behind UTEP.

Oklahoma was missing top offensive lineman Michael Fasusi for several games, but the unit was still a disaster. After the season, Venables will have no choice but to evaluate longtime offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh. No offensive coordinator will succeed with inconsistency from the start.

Where do they turn?

Assuming Venables returns in 2027, Oklahoma’s search for an offensive coordinator will be complicated. The new hire will be the Sooners’ sixth new playcalling team in six years, with the last two full-time recruits each being let go midseason after less than two years on the job. Coaching the offense under Venables since Lebby left — and former coach Lincoln Riley’s players enrolled out of the program — has been a dead end job.

Having sniffed out a promising youngster, there will likely be pressure on Venables to hire an established coach. Venables continues to call the defense and the offense has atrophied in the process. With a head coach committed only to one side of the ball, Oklahoma could take a leaf out of Texas’ book and hire an “offense head coach” type role.

The question is how attractive is coaching to the hot-tempered Venables when he is firmly in the hot seat? Could Oklahoma convince Mike Norvell to take the job, or will it try to attract a second-tier candidate?