By Rock Westfall
Last week, the Oklahoma Sooners extended head coach Brent Venables, who was entering the third season of a six-year $43.5 million contract. Now, Venables is locked up through the 2029 season with a contract of $51.6 million.
Venables took over a crisis in Oklahoma upon his arrival on December 5, 2021. Previous head coach Lincoln Riley shockingly announced his departure for USC shortly after losing the 2021 Bedlam rivalry showdown at Oklahoma State 37-33. When Riley cut and ran, he took eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams with him, in addition to other key players and assistant coaches.
Venables is 16-10 in his two years at Oklahoma and has been given a grace period to replenish the roster and coaching staff while preparing for 2024, OU’s first season in the SEC.
However, while considering what Venables inherited, his performance, and Oklahoma’s prospects in the SEC, the extension seems rushed. But is it?
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A Mixed Record Heading Into the SEC
In his first season, Venables led the 2022 Sooners to a record of 6-7. OU finished 7th in the Big 12 race and lost the Cheez-It Bowl. After a 3-0 start, which earned a national ranking of 6th, the roof caved in on the Sooners, who lost seven of their final ten games. The collapse was explained away with ‘the traitor” Riley taking the blame for leaving behind a gutted program, which was a slight exaggeration but had enough elements of truth to make for an easy sale to the faithful.
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In 2023, Oklahoma improved to 10-3 with a second-place finish in the Big 12 and a loss in the Alamo Bowl. In a similar way to 2022, the Sooners climbed to 6th in the national polls after a 7-0 start. But losses at Kansas and Oklahoma State knocked the Sooners out of the national and Big 12 title races and caused the first serious rumblings by Sooner fans regarding the direction of the program.
A 38-24 loss to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl was a source of considerable irritation for Sooner Nation. Oklahoma committed six turnovers and had a 24-13 lead deep into the third quarter before blowing it. Jackson Arnold started at quarterback in place of Dillon Gabriel, who was encouraged to leave for Oregon despite posting video game numbers. Arnold was touted as the quarterback of the future upon his arrival, and Venables feared losing his prized recruit to the transfer portal if Gabriel stayed another year.
Oklahoma’s defense improved from 99th for points allowed in 2022 to 49th in 2023. Previously, Venables made his name as a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and Clemson; hence, further improvement is expected.
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Why Now? The Ultimate Shutdown Tactic
Oklahoma faces the prospect of a rough inaugural campaign in the SEC. Certainly, the first three games, all at home against Temple, Houston, and Tulane, are manageable. But then comes the SEC gauntlet. Tennessee visits OU on September 21 followed by a dangerous game at Auburn. Next comes the Red River Shootout against Texas. Following a home game with South Carolina, OU hits the road for trap games at Ole Miss and Mizzou. An absurd paycheck game against Maine is sandwiched between those two matchups. The season ends with the home finale against Alabama, and the regular season end at LSU.
Indeed, the 2024 schedule is a maneater. And it could have left Venables vulnerable. If Oklahoma does well against that slate, the Venables extension will look like pure genius. But if, more likely, the Sooners struggle in 2024, the new contract will shut down any hot seat talk and allow Venables to effectively recruit without opposing coaches being able to say that he won’t survive.
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OU Fans Cry “In Joe We Trust!”
Joe Castiglione is in the conversation for being the best athletic director in college sports. He has led Oklahoma since 1998, and the football program has been outstanding under his leadership. Castiglione hired Bob Stoops to usher in a generation of glory in Norman. Lincoln Riley and Brent Venables were both celebrated as good hires when Castiglione made them. Most importantly, Castiglione made Oklahoma athletics attractive enough to get an invite to the SEC.
So while the Venables extension looks hasty, there are logical reasons behind it. The best reason for the extension is that Castiglione made it.
Joe Castiglione. The Master.
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