Oklahoma’s famous Sooner Schooner has weathered a few bumps in the road in the past, but after suffering through two losing seasons in three years for the first time this century, Brent Venables knew he had to pull the reins.
Oklahoma’s head coach began re-evaluating his plans in October, amid a dreadful start to his third year leading the program and — perhaps more important — the blueblood’s debut season in the mighty SEC. He fired his offensive coordinator in the middle of the season, shifted staff responsibilities and then got a head start on mapping out a blueprint for 2025 — all while the Sooners were still playing games.
“We had to,” Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione told CBS Sports. “I mean, we would’ve been foolish not to be looking forward to what we need.”
They don’t have to say it publicly, but it’s widely understood that Venables enters his fourth year on the hot seat. A 6-7 record was not a disaster on paper, but the Sooners’ downward trajectory in a new conference sounded a few alarm bells in Norman. The Oklahoma diehards won’t admit it, but rival Texas’ trip to the College Football Playoff in its first SEC season has also fueled the desire for a revamp. So, Oklahoma poured more money, time and resources into a full remodel. The university hired a third-party consultant to evaluate the program from top to bottom.
The ensuing changes were dramatic.
The Sooners installed two new coordinators, hired a pair of defensive assistants and installed an entirely new front office with seven staffers led by noted former NFL executive Jim Nagy. They even hired a new trainer with NFL ties. In December and January, the Sooners relentlessly pursued talent in the transfer portal, snagging arguably the best quarterback…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/boomer-or-bust-firmly-on-the-hot-seat-oklahomas-brent-venables-pushing-all-his-chips-in-for-2025-season/
Author : Brandon Marcello
Publish date : 2025-06-10 17:52:00
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