Across the Oklahoma Sooners campus and beyond, there are calls for Head Coach Brent Venables to either be fired or step down. Amidst a cacophony of boos in their own stadium, the Sooner nation is ready for a shakeup- but do they need one?
Should Brent Venables Be Fired?
The 17-Time Champion of Defense
The last time the Sooners were facing a challenge like this, the Spice Girls were on a world tour, You’ve Got Mail was coming out, and Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel was the cover athlete for the NCAA video games. The year, in case you missed it, was 1998.
After three abysmal years, the Sooners were bottoming out of the Big 12 with a 5-6 record. What happened in 1999, though? The Sooners went 7-5. The year after that? National champions. The fact that most people tend to forget is that Venables was a major part of that turnaround. Venables helped lead the Sooners to seven Big 12 Championships and two national championship games.
Dabo Swinney would then take Venables on to his staff at Clemson. Seven ACC Championships and two national titles later, Venables was ready to move on once again. Coincidentally, he’d be making his way back to Oklahoma.
Any one who meets Venables might be put off by the eagle-sharp eyes and intense personality. That’s because this is a man who loves the game for the sake of; win or lose his passion is infectious. Venables has also spent two decades under coaches who know how to win championships, so he should have an idea of what it takes to do that, too. So why hasn’t he?
The Mistakes of Brent Venables
Fans tend to have long if selective, memories. The consensus in Norman is that, despite his record, Venables was never all that good. Is this an accurate assessment? No, but it’s the one that’s become a popular belief. So what would be accurate criticisms?
First off, Venables really struggles to recruit as a head coach. Sure, the Sooners were signing some great names the past few years, but they’ve proven to be glass cannons more than anything else.
Perhaps the most high-profile mistake of all, though, came in 2023. Dillon Gabriel‘s transfer from Oklahoma was shocking, to say the least, and his reasons are debatable at best. The one definitive aspect about it, though, is that Venables had not been planning for a Sooners team post-Gabriel.
On paper, it doesn’t look that way. Jackson Arnold was a five-star recruit and looking to be the next big thing after Gabriel. In reality, though, Arnold’s fundamental issues have been so damaging that they, arguably, cost Oklahoma the season this year.
Maybe there was no convincing Gabriel to stay. That doesn’t excuse not seeing that there were some serious fundamental issues with the guys in line after Gabriel. The ability to hold onto the ball, or work under pressure, are key things for a quarterback to have. Arnold has neither of these and Venables should have seen that.
A Mixed Reception in Norman
This week, Last Word on Sports took a visit to campus to see how these mistakes were impacting opinions. Student-athletes tend to love Venables, primarily due to his enthusiasm and dedication. The general student body, overall, is finding the season disappointing but is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt due to the injuries.
In Oklahoma City and Norman proper, however, the animosity is much more intense. The fans see him as the man who let Gabriel slip away and possibly endangered Sooners football for the foreseeable future. Some are kinder in their criticisms, saying he’s “Just not head coach material”. The general reaction, though, is that it’s time for Venables to hit the road.
The administration, though, has had a different reaction. Many seem to believe that the first season in the SEC was always going to be rough, regardless of who was at the helm. Their patience isn’t limitless, though. If Venables fails to deliver next season, he’ll likely be exiting the Sooners program.
The Last Word on Firing Brent Venables
Oklahoma State and the Oklahoma Sooners seem to be competing for who can have a more polarizing coach this year. Mike Gundy recently had to apologize for comments he made about how the fans criticizing the Oklahoma State Cowboys are “the same ones that can’t pay their bills”.
Although Brent Venables has been smarter with his words in public, the fanbase is just as fed up with him. Without a proper offensive coordinator next year, and there are plenty of candidates, things will only get worse. Failing to properly recruit in the offseason would add to those difficulties. This is especially true if the transfer portal ravages Oklahoma as it did Colorado a few years ago.
Ultimately, does Brent Venables deserve to be fired? No. The man is facing numerous challenges, just like Kentucky, Wake Forest, or LSU. However, he’s also shown steady improvement. If it means enduring a season of developmental hurdles, then so be it. One bad season does not make a bad coach, and Venables deserves one more chance, at least until next year.
