What’s old is new again in Norman, Oklahoma. Not only is Sooners legend Bob Stoops coming out of retirement for a special guest appearance on the sidelines for Oklahoma’s bowl game against Oregon, but one of his former assistant coaches will be taking over the program moving forward.
Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione announced Sunday that former Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables will be the next head coach of the school’s football program. Venables was a former linebackers coach, defensive coordinator, and associate head coach for the Sooners between 1999-2011 under Bob Stoops.
While at Clemson, Venables oversaw one of the nation’s top defensive units which consistently produced NFL level talent. In 2016 he won the Broyles Award which is handed out annually to the top Assistant Coach in the nation. Venables had previously been linked to a number of head coaching vacancies including Miami, Kansas St, Auburn and Texas Tech but had turned down interviews to remain at Clemson.
In a prepared statement released by Oklahoma, Venables stated “This is an incredibly special opportunity… [the Sooners are] one of the winningest and most tradition-rich programs in college football history…There’s no question we are equipped to compete at the very highest level and attract the best players from across the country. The OU logo has never been stronger.”
Bob Stoops, Venables former co-worker at the University praised the decision, saying “He knows the formula to win national championships and has the toughness, the attitude and the fight that I think will elevate our program in a lot of positive ways…I’ve always loved his energy, excitement and passion for the game — it clearly spills over to his players. He has the absolute right experience to come in at this time and really boost our program.”
Venables takes over for Lincoln Riley who left OU to take the USC coaching position following the team’s loss to rival Oklahoma State. Venables will bring a gritty defensive presence back to Norman, something that recent versions of the Sooners were sorely lacking under Riley’s guidance. Insiders are speculating that Venables is likely to bring on Ole Miss Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby to handle OC duties for the Sooners.
Under Lebby’s system, Ole Miss has been one of the nation’s most prolific offenses the last few years, ranking 4th nationally in 2021. Lebby has been a Broyles Award semi finalist for the past two years for his work with the university. With Oklahoma set to join the SEC, a stronger defensive presence was something boosters were clamouring for whether that was under Riley or a new head coach. The combination of Venables and Lebby could prove to be just what the team needs to get back on the map following Riley’s departure and subsequent exodus of OU recruits.
Only 50 years old, Venables was one of the most beloved coaches at Clemson, and is viewed as a player’s coach who is able to compete with the best of them, while churning out NFL ready players. Following his introductory press conference, it’s expected that Venables will hit the recruiting trail hard in an attempt to stem the flow of players decommitting, and bring in some fresh talent to the Sooners roster for 2022.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner