Heading toward the worst season Oklahoma football has had in decades, the school’s president and athletic director both threw their support behind coach Brent Venables and put to rest speculation that a coaching change could be coming.
Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr. said his commitment to the third-year head coach was “unwavering.”
“I’ve been around Oklahoma football for a long time. We have the right coach. This is our coach,” Harroz told reporters after a board of regents meeting Tuesday. “We knew it was going to be a tough year going to the SEC, the first year.”
The Sooners started this season ranked but are 5-5 overall, 1-5 in the SEC, with games left against Alabama and LSU after being off this week. Oklahoma has not had a losing regular season and missed out on a bowl game since 1998.
Venables, the former Clemson defensive coordinator and first-time head coach, is 21-15, 11-13 in conference play, since replacing Lincoln Riley in Norman. He went 6-7 in his first year, but bounced back with 10 wins last year, Oklahoma’s last as a member of the Big 12.
Athletic director Joe Castiglione hired Venables, who spent 13 years as an Oklahoma assistant before going to Clemson and helping the Tigers win two national titles, after Riley surprisingly left for Southern California.
“We’re mindful that we have not met the Oklahoma standard for 2024,” Castiglione told reporters. “That said, we truly believe in coach Venables and our team. We are completely focused on both supporting them and looking at all ways to address the needed improvements now as soon as possible as well as in preparation for next year and working with coach Venables to help in all of that process.”
Venables has already fired first-year offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, with the Sooners offense ranked 128th in the country in yards per play (4.74).
Venables received a new six-year contract this past June worth about $52 million dollars.
(Photo: Ed Zurga / Getty Images)
