NORMAN — Brent Venables will be back doing what he does best during the 2025 season.
Following former defensive coordinator Zac Alley’s departure to West Virginia, Venables went back to the drawing board for OU football’s defensive staff.
Instead of hiring an outside established playcaller, Venables opted to take over himself and hire additional staffers he trusts — former Utah State defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling as inside linebackers coach and Clemson playcaller Wes Goodwin as assistant inside linebackers and outside linebackers coach.
“Why am I going to call the defense? Because I’m good at it and I’m confident in it,” Venables said in March.
Venables called the defensive plays while also managing games during the 2023 season when the Sooners finished 10-3. OU struggled at times last season with game management, but Venables hopes to replicate the success of 2023.
The Sooners will boast four staff members (Venables, Dreiling, Goodwin and safeties coach Brandon Hall) who have held the role of defensive coordinator in their careers. Defensive line coach Todd Bates and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai also currently serve as co-defensive coordinators.
“It’s a collaboration,” Venables said last week at SEC Media Days. “It’s all of us, it always has been. Even in the last — whenever, last year and the first year — I’ve got a lot of involvement, always have, a lot. At the end of the day, you’ve got things pared down week to week, and there’s some simplicity to it, but you have a rhythm and a tempo from a scheduling standpoint. It’s not overcomplicated.”
For Venables, he’s already handled most in-game situations with his players during game week or addresses them directly on the field.
As the head…
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Publish date : 2025-07-23 11:01:00
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