Sputtering Sooners fire OC Littrell, elevate Finley

The Oklahoma Sooners have fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, it was announced Sunday.

Oklahoma is moving on from the first-year playcaller one day after the offense sputtered again in a 35-9 home loss to South Carolina.

“Seth is an all-time great Sooner,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said in a statement. “He has a deep love for this university and football program, and has poured his heart and soul into both. Despite that, our performance as an offense this season has not at all lived up to the OU standard and I felt a change was necessary now.”

Co-offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley will take over interim playcalling duties while analyst Kevin Johns, the former Duke offensive coordinator, has been promoted to interim quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator.

The unranked Sooners, who are 1-3 in their SEC debut, head to Ole Miss in Week 9 ranked 128th nationally in total offense and 107th in scoring. They have 11 turnovers in seven games.

Littrell, the former North Texas head coach, was set to earn $1.1 million in his first year in charge of Oklahoma’s offense in a contract that was set to run through the end of the 2026 season. He assumed the OC role in December 2023 following Jeff Lebby’s departure for Mississippi State.

Before Littrell’s firing, the Sooners moved Finley from the sideline into the coaches booth alongside Littrell and Johns for Saturday’s game.

“The leadership role Joe Jon plays on our team is critical,” Venables said in the statement. “He has the confidence of our locker room and coaching staff, and I’m thankful to him for taking on this expanded role in the middle of the season.

“… I’m confident Joe Jon, Kevin and the rest of the offensive staff will work tirelessly to put our players in positions to succeed and make us more effective on that side of the ball.”

The Sooners’ offense has been mired by injuries, quarterback changes and an output that has Oklahoma last in the SEC in rushing (112.1), yards per play (4.31) and third-down efficiency (27.5%).

Injuries to top wide receivers Deion Burks, Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Jayden Gibson and Andrel Anthony have limited the passing game this fall. On the offensive line, where Oklahoma had to replace five starters from a year ago, the Sooners have struggled for health and consistent play within a unit that has allowed 29 sacks, second-most among FBS offenses. The running game sits 114th nationally.

Yet the Sooners’ most glaring issue under Littrell came at the quarterback position.

Sophomore Jackson Arnold, the former five-star prospect, was benched in the fourth game after he committed three turnovers in the first half of a loss to Tennessee. Freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. started the next three games before Oklahoma turned back to Arnold against South Carolina after Hawkins turned the ball over on each of the Sooners’ first three possessions.

Including the 34-3 loss to Texas on Oct. 12, this is the first time Oklahoma has been held below 10 points in consecutive games since 1998.

“[I] hate it, it’s unfortunate, it’s unacceptable,” Littrell said afterward. “We have to be much better. I have to be much better. I’m going to continue to fight to do that.”

Upon Littrell’s departure, the Sooners will now turn to Finley to call plays for the foreseeable future. The 39-year-old assistant joined Oklahoma’s coaching staff as tight ends coach under Lincoln Riley in 2021 and was promoted to the role of co-offensive coordinator alongside Littrell in late 2023.

Finley previously served as the passing game coordinator at Ole Miss during the 2020 season.

Johns is in his first season at Oklahoma and now will have a significant voice in the offense. While Littrell held the title of quarterbacks coach, Johns has also worked primarily with the team’s quarterbacks this fall. Duke averaged 29.8 points per game across Johns’ two seasons calling plays for the Blue Devils from 2022-23.

Johns also has been an offensive coordinator in the Big Ten (Indiana) and the Big 12 (Texas Tech) as well at Memphis and Western Michigan.