Brent Venables is circling the wagons at Oklahoma and it might actually work

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables entered this offseason knowing that he could very well be coaching for his job in 2025. The Sooners slogged to a 6-7 record this past season, their second in three years under Venables. And while injuries on the offensive side of the ball offered at least a partial explanation for the team's struggles, it was hard to escape the feeling that Venables was an excellent coordinator in a bit over his head in the top job. OU could scarcely afford to lose more ground in the crowded SEC, and one more lackluster year felt like it might prompt a change.

Give Venables credit: If he's going down, he's going to go down swinging. He gave his offense a total overhaul back in December, not only luring former Washington State OC Ben Arbuckle to town but bringing his quarterback, the sought-after John Mateer, along with him. Mateer and Arbuckle worked magic together amid the ashes of the Pac-12 in 2024, and it's hard to imagine how Venables could've found a quicker fix on that side of the ball.

Of course, Venables also had a big decision to make on defense, where former DC Zac Alley bolted for West Virginia after just one season in Norman. And there, too, he's taking a risk, one that could sink or salvage his tenure at Oklahoma.

Brent Venables puts his job on the line with defensive coordinator decision, and it just might work

Venables has filled the vacancy left by Alley. But he didn't do so by finding a different defensive coordinator. Rather, Oklahoma announced the hirings of Arkansas State DC (and former Utah State interim head coach) Nate Dreiling as inside linebackers coach and Wes Goodwin as assistant linebackers and outside linebackers coach. And it'll be Venables himself calling the plays, a significant shift from his first three years in Norman.

Which is a big, big swing. Venables was arguably the best DC in the country under Dabo Swinney at Clemson, but he'd resisted calling plays at Oklahoma, preferring instead to focus on a broader view of the Sooners program. It felt like that would remain true in 2025, especially with rumors swirling that the school had former Ohio State (and now-Penn State) defensive coordinator Jim Knowles in their sights.

With Knowles off the board, though, Venables has concluded that the best chance of Oklahoma maintaining its sturdy defense is by taking the reins himself. On the one hand, there's some reason to be skeptical; Venables decided against calling plays previously for a reason, and clearly he was open to doing so again earlier in the offseason. It's not hard to imagine the program slipping elsewhere with Venables again focused on the details of game-planning on a weekly basis.

But with an established OC in Arbuckle on board, and a QB in Mateer who has a full year of experience in this system under his belt, Oklahoma's offense should be largely set-it-and-forget-it in 2025. Venables remains one of the sharpest defensive minds in the country, and you can understand why he felt like he had the bandwidth and the ability to lead this unit next season. Especially considering how much is at stake: If your job is on the line, wouldn't you rather go down doing the thing that got you this job in the first place? At the very least, Venables will know that, even if the 2025 season doesn't go his way, he went out as he came in. And with no more excuses to fall back on, Oklahoma will know, one way or the other, whether Venables is their guy.