Oklahoma football fans are over the moon with the hiring of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables as the Sooners’ new head coach.
It’s been a hell of a week for Oklahoma football but they came out of it feeling pretty good.
The Sooners were stunned when head coach Lincoln Riley left Norman to take the open job at USC.
Fans had a week to speed through the stages of grief with the announcement of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables as Riley’s replacement zooming them right to acceptance.
Oklahoma football fans are ecstatic about Brent Venables
Sooner Twitter was wild with excitement over their new hire.
Just saying out loud “OU head coach Brent Venables,” sounds so good! https://t.co/0KZIjyF45k
— The REF (@KREFsports) December 6, 2021
Brent Venables officially the guy at OU. #Sooners getting ready at the airport rn with the schooner and OU band.
— K. Mehrabian (@K_Mehrabian) December 6, 2021
It’s happening. pic.twitter.com/GNxqmwgk2m
Let us pour one out for the week that was...#Sooners have found their guy, Venables. https://t.co/e8Ux1n8BdD
— Bob Przybylo (@BPrzybylo) December 6, 2021
Venables is official! Great family man and a great coach too! Welcome to a new and better era of OU football. #BoomerSooner
— Paul Cokle (@SoonerGuy1974) December 6, 2021
If you live in or around Norman, y’all should go to the airport in Norman and greet Venables! The more we have out there the more we stick it to TBOW
— General of Stutsman Army (@sooner25411) December 6, 2021
A plane landed, a large crowed formed, everyone got their cameras ready just in case
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) December 6, 2021
And then it was just some random people that got a lot of videos and photos taken of them 😂
The wait for Venables continues #Sooners
Imagine OU hiring Brent Venables as the new HC ..
— Brennan Clay (@BrennanClay24) December 5, 2021
Oh wait that’s actually happening ..#Boomer
Oklahoma Head Ball Coach Brent Venables. Man it sounds perfect
— Barstool Sooners (@OUBarstool) December 6, 2021
Venables has a clear connection to Oklahoma. While he has turned down other jobs in the past, the national-title-winning defensive coordinator coached on Bob Stoops’ staff from 1999 to 2011. Oklahoma won the 2000 BCS title with his fingerprints on the defense.
He left for Clemson in 2012 and has helped the Tigers win multiple national championships in his time there as well.
When it comes to defensive coordinators, it’s tough to find one more universally perceived as the best in the game.
Venables’ challenge is to take what worked for him as a coordinator and apply it to being a head coach for the first time. The 50-year-old has learned from the likes of Stoops and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, so Sooners fans have reason to hope he knows what it takes to succeed in that role.
This year’s coaching carousel has been all about making a splash. By hiring a coach some thought would be a coordinator for life, Oklahoma just made one of their own.
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