Oklahoma coach Brent Venables defended his choice to take over defensive playcalling during a wide-ranging interview with “Josh Pate’s College Football Show.” Venables, a legendary defensive coordinator, takes over command on that side of the ball entering a pivotal year for his program.
“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 what we do. I’ve got my fingerprints deep all over the defense, always have and always will.”
Calling plays can be a touchy topic for former coordinators turned head coaches. No playcalling head coach has won a national championship since Jimbo Fisher in 2013. Ohio State coach Ryan Day won the national title the first year he handed off responsibilities to Chip Kelly. However, a few elite coaches like Texas coach Steve Sarkisian still hold responsibilities.
Venables has gone back and forth on playcalling during his time at Oklahoma as he attempts to balance the responsibilities of being an on-field coach and the type of off-field CEO necessary to be an SEC coach in 2025. He helped call the defense in 2023 during a 10-win campaign.
Last season, he hired young up-and-comer Zac Alley, a former Clemson graduate assistant who has received comparisons to Venables. Alley unexpectedly opted to rejoin Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia. He coordinated the defense under Rodriguez at Jacksonville State.
Despite losing Alley, the Sooners return co-defensive coordinators Jay Valai and Todd Bates. In addition, Oklahoma made a big swing to try and poach championship defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State. Instead, Knowles opted to join Penn State. After missing on Knowles, Venables made the decision to take over the reins himself.
“Why trust a first-time play caller at Oklahoma more than me?” Venables said. “For a long time I was a playcaller here and in college football, and it was a very comfortable space for me, but I’ve got a tremendous staff.”
Oklahoma defense isn’t the real issue
He has a point. Venables is considered one of the greatest defensive coordinators in the history of college football. During legendary runs at Oklahoma and Clemson as a coordinator, Venables helped lead the programs to three national championships. His defenses consistently rank among the most successful in the sport.
Venables took over an Oklahoma defense that ranked No. 76 nationally giving up more than 390 yards per game in Lincoln Riley’s final season. Last year, it jumped into the top 20 and is set to produce numerous NFL Draft picks, including linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman.
Ultimately, offense has been the real issue. The unit fell from top 20 in 2021 to No. 113 last season under first-year coordinator Seth Littrell. Littrell, a fullback on the 2000 national title team, was fired midway through a season that resulted in a second losing record in three years for Venables. Previously, the Sooners had not posted a losing season in the 21st Century.
To fix matters, Oklahoma poached coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer from Washington State, considered perhaps the best pairing on the market. With a highly-touted coordinator coming into the fold on offense, there’s more space available for Venables to focus on the defense and let Arbuckle have freedom and flexibility. Oklahoma also hired NFL veteran Jim Nagy as general manager, letting Venables ease more roster-building responsibilities off his plate.
Taking over playcalling can be a last-ditch effort for a coach to save his job entering a pivotal year, but there are serious success stories. Last season, Baylor coach Dave Aranda took over his defense and led a turnaround from 3-9 to 8-5. If Venables can engineer a turnaround from 6-7 on the back of another elite defense, he gives himself the best chance possible to buy a future with the Sooners.
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