NORMAN — The sleeves of Seth Littrell’s hoodie were pulled to his forearms as he braced himself against the podium of Oklahoma’s team meeting room Saturday afternoon.
The former national championship-winning fullback and Sooners captain stood there, searching for answers after another floundering performance from his offense, this time in a 35-9 loss to South Carolina that represented Oklahoma’s worst defeat at home in a decade. The 46-year-old acknowledged he has fallen short of the lofty standard at Oklahoma but called himself a “fighter,” vowing to keep fighting to turn things around for the Sooners’ listless offense.
Except Littrell won’t have the opportunity to do that over the final five games of the season.
Littrell was fired Sunday, less than a day after Oklahoma fell to 4-3 on the season and 1-3 in its inaugural SEC campaign, sources confirmed to Sooners Illustrated. It was a move that seemed inevitable, as Oklahoma’s offense has been the SEC’s worst and among the worst in college football this season.
***JOIN SOONERS ILLUSTRATED NOW AND GET 30% OFF AN ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP***
The decision to part ways with Littrell comes just seven games into his tenure as play-caller and quarterbacks coach at his alma mater — a place he said he worked 23 years to return to. After joining Oklahoma’s staff as an analyst prior to last season, Littrell was promoted to offensive coordinator on Nov. 29, 2023, just three days after Jeff Lebby vacated that position to become head coach at Mississippi State.
Littrell’s hiring as offensive coordinator was not unexpected, as Brent Venables moved quickly to promote from within and maintain continuity for Oklahoma’s offensive staff, which also included the promotion of tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley to co-offensive coordinator and the retention of the remainder of the Sooners’ offensive assistants.
Littrell, who returned to OU after spending the previous seven seasons as head coach at North Texas, was signed to a three-year contract worth $3.6 million in total compensation. He was set to earn $1.1 million this season, with annual increases of $100,000 set to kick in during the second and third years of the deal.
When Venables promoted Littrell to offensive coordinator, he conceded it was “an easy and convenient move” to make but added that it was also “the best move” for Oklahoma and would help the Sooners maintain the kind of offensive output they enjoyed last season, when they finished with a top-five scoring offense while averaging 41.7 points per game. That kind of production was matched just once in Oklahoma’s first seven games this season, with OU putting up 51 points in its season opener against Temple — which was four more points than the offense produced in its first four SEC games combined.
Through seven games, Oklahoma’s offense ranks 107th among FBS teams in scoring, averaging 22.1 points per game. That number is even worse against Power 4 competition, with OU averaging 14 points per game in those contests — the second-worst mark among Power 4 programs against other teams from those leagues (ahead of only Houston’s 12 points per game). Not only has Oklahoma struggled to score points, but it has had issues sustaining drives throughout the season and was plagued by turnover troubles, particularly since the start of SEC play. Of the Sooners’ 90 offensive drives this season (not including kneeldowns at the end of halves), 35 of them ended in either a three-and-out or lasted fewer than four plays due to a turnover or a safety.
The Sooners’ offense ranks 116th nationally in passing and 122nd in passing efficiency (sixth worst among Power 4 teams), 114th in rushing yards per game and 124th (fourth worst among Power 4 teams) in yards per rushing attempt, 128th in third-down efficiency, as well as 133rd in both sacks allowed and fewest plays of 20-plus yards.
A variety of factors contributed to Oklahoma’s offensive troubles under Littrell, including a string of injuries that decimated the Sooners’ receiving corps, with the teams’ top-five receivers sustaining injuries that were either season ending or caused them to miss significant time this year. There were issues at quarterback, with Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr. both struggling to consistently perform and take care of the football. The rebuilt offensive line also failed to live up to expectations while dealing with injuries and cycling through five different starting lineups through seven games, surrendering 29 sacks in the process.
While every position experienced its own issues, the sum of Oklahoma’s struggles on offense ultimately fell on the shoulders of Littrell, whose inability to identify and implement solutions on that side of the ball not only derailed the Sooners’ inaugural SEC season; it brought an early and abrupt end to his tenure as offensive coordinator at the program he helped lead to a national title in 2000.
“You’re going to have some ups and downs,” Littrell said Saturday, in what were his final remarks as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator. “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.”
After failing to field a coherent offense, Littrell’s opportunity to do so has passed, as Venables will now set out to hire his third offensive coordinator since taking over as head coach 34 months ago. In the meantime, co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley is set to take over play-calling duties the remainder of the season.
Sooners Illustrated insider Collin Kennedy contributed to this report.
