Oklahoma Extends Coach Brent Venables for Six Years

Oklahoma has extended coach Brent Venables’ contract for six more years, giving him a raise. This decision comes as the Sooners prepare to join the SEC on July 1, 2024, making Venables’ job more challenging.

In two seasons with Oklahoma, Venables has a record of 16-10, including 10-8 in conference play. These are average results for a program like Oklahoma, leading some to question the timing of his extension.

So why extend now? Venables was in the third year of a six-year deal. Extending his contract shows recruits that he’s not at risk of being fired soon, even if the upcoming SEC season is tough. Oklahoma’s 2024 schedule looks challenging, and this move prevents negative recruiting against Venables and the Sooners.

Athletic Director Joe Castiglione introduced Venables in December 2021 as the successor to Lincoln Riley. Castiglione highlighted Venables’ success, noting his role in earning 13 conference championships, three national titles, and consistently strong defenses. Venables had built a winning culture during his 13 years at Oklahoma and 10 years at Clemson.

The end of Riley’s era led to some revisionist history. Riley’s teams won four Big 12 titles and produced exciting offenses with Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. However, their defense struggled in the postseason, losing all three College Football Playoff games with an average of 54 points allowed per game.

When Riley left, Oklahoma aimed to improve its defense and hired Venables, who had built strong defenses at Clemson and during his previous time at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops. Despite the win-loss record, Oklahoma’s defense has improved under Venables. In his first two seasons, Oklahoma’s defense showed significant progress, ranking nationally in key categories.

Oklahoma has been getting stronger along the lines of scrimmage, crucial for competing in the SEC. While the offensive line has been solid under coach Bill Bedenbaugh, the defensive line needed improvement. Oklahoma hasn’t had a first-round NFL Draft pick on the defensive line in 20 years, except for two players coached by Venables.

At Clemson, Venables developed six first-round defensive linemen and several others drafted in later rounds. Oklahoma had 12 defensive linemen drafted during Venables’ time at Clemson, three of whom he coached.

Venables is known for developing defensive talent, but he needs skilled players to work with. Oklahoma has recruited better defensive linemen under Venables compared to Riley, emphasizing the position and using the transfer portal effectively.

When Castiglione hired Venables, he sought a coach to improve the defense and develop NFL talent. Venables has already improved defensive performance, and his recruiting success suggests Oklahoma is on track to develop top NFL prospects.