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Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables is taking over the defensive play-calling ahead of a pivotal 2025 season. After former defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Zac Alley left for a raise and the same role at West Virginia, Venables pursued former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, but OU ultimately lost out to Penn State.
So, Venables decided to hire Nate Dreiling to coach the inside linebackers and Wes Goodwin as outside linebackers coach/assistant linebackers coach, and call the plays himself. Venables landed his current job after successful stints as a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma (1999 to 2011) and Clemson (2012-2021). He was the co-defensive coordinator on the 2000 OU team that won the national championship and the defensive coordinator for both the 2016 and 2018 title runs at Clemson.
In a sit-down interview with Josh Pate, who hosts “Josh Pate’s College Football Show,” Venables further explained why he decided to call the plays, something not many head coaches in college football do anymore.
“Instinctively, that’s a very natural space for me,” Venables said. “I’ve got a great staff that several of us have been together for a long time, so there’s a deep understanding of how we do what we do. I’ve got my fingerprints all over the whole defense, always have, always will.”
Venables, who called plays as the DC from 2004 to 2021, is one of the best in the business when it comes to managing a defense. He knows he’s entering a crucial year, so he made the choice to take that responsibility himself. Despite the defense really always belonging to Venables, his staff features some excellent coaches, such as co-defensive coordinators Todd Bates and Jay Valai, as well as a former Troy defensive coordinator Brandon Hall and a young up-and-comer in Miguel Chavis. They’ll help the head coach…
Source link : https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/sooners/football/2025/04/01/oklahoma-sooners-football-brent-venables-josh-pate-sec-zac-alley/82748533007/
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Publish date : 2025-04-01 10:05:00
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