Many people were skeptical of the news that the Oklahoma Sooners head coach would be taking over the defensive playcalling in 2025. Fans were uncertain of how Venables could improve his game management if he was so heavily involved with managing and calling the defense.
While that skepticism is understandable, there’s a silver lining that should have fans excited about the upcoming season.
In a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Josh Pate, Venables confirmed that he essentially ran the defense in 2023 instead of defensive coordinator Ted Roof.
Brent Venables explains why he’s reassuming defensive play-calling duties for Oklahoma in 2025 pic.twitter.com/QEutPCXova
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) March 31, 2025
The Sooners went 10-3 that season and were a freak stomach bug against Kansas from improving that record. That year, Oklahoma pulled off their upset victory over the Texas Longhorns and were drastically improved from a 6-7 season the year before.
Does anyone else see the potential similarities to this season?
Now, predicting a 10-win season again is obviously premature. After all, Oklahoma is playing in the SEC now and not the Big 12. However, coming off of their best year defensively in a decade, is it hyperbolic to think that Venables leading their most talented unit in years can result in a much improved record?
Oklahoma returns plenty of production on the defensive side of the ball and has a much deeper coaching staff leading the charge this year than they’ve had in recent years. Venables is one of the best defensive coaches of the last several decades and has changed the game. Turning the defense over to him once again doesn’t seem like that bad of a choice, especially if he’s already done so.
Remember, Oklahoma tried to hire Jim Knowles as their defensive coordinator and came ever so close to completing the deal. Once Knowles decided to leave, the Sooners realized they weren’t going to get anyone on par with or better than Venables.
I think letting Venables stay hands-on with the defense is the best thing the Sooners can do right now. It’s nice for him to officially confirm that he’s already done such a thing at Oklahoma and the Sooners did pretty well when he did.
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