Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables has long been viewed as one of the brightest defensive minds in college football. Since taking over in Norman, Venables has had to find the right balance between overseeing the entire program and continuing to lead the defense he built his reputation on.
When Venables first took over as head coach, Ted Roof called the plays defensively. It has been rumored that Venables took over play calling in Year 2, but nothing has been confirmed on that front. Then in Year 3, he hired Zac Alley to call the defense. Alley left after one season to become the defensive coordinator for the West Virginia Mountaineers. So, Venables returned to calling the defense. It might not be a coincidence that the two seasons Venables allegedly called the defense, Oklahoma went 10-3 both years, whereas the two years he didn’t, the team went 6-7 both years.
Venables’ ability to balance his responsibilities as a head coach while still leading the defense has earned respect throughout the SEC, including from Ole Miss Rebels head coach Pete Golding. He faced a similar transition after serving as Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach following the regular season. During SEC media days, Golding revealed that Venables was the first person he reached out to for advice on managing both roles.
“He was my first phone call,” Golding said via OU Nightly. “There’s so much respect for him and the job that he’s done… I knew that he had been through it. Didn’t do it in Year 1 and did it in Year 2. Brought in the protege and didn’t do it in Year 3… He’s like, ‘look, man, nobody’s going to call it like you. It’s your system. You’ve done a great job.'”
Venables has spent his career building elite defenses, and Oklahoma’s recent success has shown the value of his direct involvement. While balancing play calling with being a head coach is a difficult challenge, Venables has found a way to make it work.
The fact that coaches like Golding are turning to him for advice shows the level of respect Venables has earned across college football.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Brent Venables helped a first time SEC coach ahead of the 2026 season
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