On Sunday, Oklahoma University finalized a deal with Clemson defensive coordinator, Brent Venables, to be its 23rd football team head coach.
“This is an incredibly special opportunity,” Venables said in a statement, “[my family and I] are extremely grateful for the belief in us — and certainly in me — to be the next head coach at Oklahoma, 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,” he said. “The OU logo has never been stronger.”
Oklahoma had been on the hunt for a new head coach since last week when former coach Lincoln Riley accepted the job at USC.
Venables’ name was instantly mentioned by fans and media members as a top candidate to replace Riley due to his success at Clemson and his history with Oklahoma’s football program.
Venables is returning to Oklahoma after working under head coach Bob Stoops from 1999-2011. He started as a linebacker coach but was promoted to defensive coordinator and associate head coach in 2004.
Venables was on the staff when Oklahoma won the 2000 national championship and when they made three more appearances in the title games in 2003, 2004, and 2008.
Venables’ defensive teams at Oklahoma finished eight seasons ranked among the top 16 nationally in total defense, including each year from 2000-2006. Oklahoma led the Big 12 in fewest points allowed in four seasons (2000, ’04, ’06, ’11) and led the conference in total defense three times (2003, ’04, ’06).
In 2012, Venables joined Clemson as defensive coordinator and was instrumental in the program’s success. Clemson won two national championships (2016, 2018) and played in two more with Venables on the staff. His defense consistently ranked near the top of several statistical categories, and in 2016 he was named the Broyles Award recipient, given to the nation’s best assistant coach.
Each of his last eight Clemson defenses has ranked in the top 15 nationally in yards allowed, and seven of the previous eight have ranked in the top 20 in points allowed. This season’s Clemson defense ranks second nationally in points allowed, at 15 points per game, and is tied for the national lead with 46 sacks.
“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,” his former boss and current interim head coach Bob Stoops said. “The bottom line is he’s the perfect guy to get us to the next level.”
Oklahoma finished this season at 10-2 and ranked 16th in the final College Football Playoff rankings. They will finish the season against No. 14 Oregon in the Alamo Bowl on December 29.