Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables was a first-time head coach when he returned to Norman in December of 2021. Though he’d been an excellent linebackers coach at Kansas State, a stellar co-defensive coordinator at OU, and a rockstar defensive coordinator at Clemson, he’d never been in charge of his own program before.
At KSU, Venables was never more than a position coach on the legendary Bill Snyder’s staff. He’d played linebacker for the Wildcats for two seasons, so he worked his way up from graduate assistant to LBs coach, before leaving his alma mater.
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As a first-time defensive coordinator during his first stint at OU, Venables worked under head coach Bob Stoops and helped run the defensive side of the ball, along with Bob’s younger brother, Mike, who was the play-caller. When Mike left to be Arizona’s head coach, Brent became the play-caller and ran the defense alongside Bo Pelini for a season, and then trusted longtime assistant Bobby Jack Wright for a few years after that.
However, when Mike was fired in Tucson, Bob decided to bring him back to Oklahoma. The plan was that Mike would work alongside Venables for a second stint together, and call the OU defense again. Of course, that didn’t happen, as after 13 years in Norman, Venables wanted to continue calling his own defense, so he made the hard decision to leave for the DC job at Clemson.
With the Tigers, Venables helped head coach Dabo Swinney build a powerhouse. Venables’ defenses were among the nation’s best, and he turned down multiple head coaching opportunities to stay in Clemson. However, when the Sooners came calling, asking him to be OU’s next head coach, Venables had to say yes.
Fast-forward, and the longtime coordinator-turned first-time head man is entering his fifth year at the helm in Norman. There have been peaks and valleys, but Venables has built the Sooners in his image. In addition, he’s earned praise from his players for the way he coaches them.
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The first edition of SoonerSports.com’s spring Q&A series, “The Hurry-Up”, featured tight end Kade McIntyre, wide receiver Parker Livingstone, and defensive back Courtland Guillory, who all praised the way Venables leads the Sooners.
McIntyre, a returner who has been with OU since 2023, had high praise for Venables’ trademark intensity, as well as the consistency he brings to the program.
“It’s the consistency of his intensity. He’s not going to be hypocritical – he’s going to be on everybody every day. His coaching style doesn’t change, and he expects the most out of everybody all the time,” McIntyre said.
Livingstone is a newcomer from Texas by way of the transfer portal, who has spent much less time around Venables than McIntyre has. However, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t picked up on the culture that the head ball coach is trying to build.
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“He preaches and talks a lot about culture and getting people to buy in. It’s amazing what happens when you talk about it, preach about it, and live by it. I think he absolutely does all three. When all the coaches are emulating those values, the players buy in and you build one heck of a team. That’s what we’re doing right now,” Livingstone said.
Guillory was a star as a true freshman cornerback for OU last year, and he highlighted Venables’ drive to keep improving, along with his desire to be great.
“I like that Coach Venables is a hard coach. Whether you’re doing good or bad, he’s always going to make you feel like you’re not doing enough. I feel like you need a coach like that, someone who’s going to push you to be great no matter what. He’s going to get everything out of you, and that’s a good thing,” Guillory said.
Venables earned a lot of validation as a head coach when he took Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff last year. For a coach who had always worked for someone else, and was able to focus on running the defense, he’s proven capable of building a team identity and a team culture as a head coach.
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While Snyder, Stoops, and Swinney are certainly to thank for the valuable lessons Venables has learned about being a head coach, he’s come into his own since his return to Norman. Now, Venables leads the way for one of college football’s all-time blue blood programs with intensity, consistency, and a strong team culture.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: OU’s Brent Venables earns praise from his new and returning players
