Overreactions and reacting on impulse are a part of everyday life. Often times in the sports of college football, that is taken to the next level. An example of this can be seen every year after the majority of teams handle their week one cupcakes, they think they are among the elite and set to make the college football playoff, and potentially more before crashing and burning once they hit conference play.
One of the many examples this year would be the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners defeated the Temple Owls of the American Conference 51-3 in Norman to open up the 2024 campaign under head coach Brent Venables. Venables is in his third season as head coach with the Sooners. After a 3-0 start however, the Sooners came crashing down hard losing four of their last five and are 1-4 in the SEC in their first season in the conference.
This year, the Sooners rightfully so are regarded as one of the worst teams in the SEC. Their pre-season 7.5 win total set by FanDuel will be difficult to surpass with three of their four games remaining being against ranked opponents. Therefore, the narrative has swiftly shifted to many placing the blame on, and questioning whether Venables is the man for the job in Norman moving forward.
Brent Venables is still the best option for Oklahoma Football moving forward for these reasons
Venables has guts to make changes
Unlike many head coaches before him not just at Oklahoma but other schools, rarely do you see coaches that are gutsy enough to make coordinator firings during the middle of the season. Venables however is not one of those. With the Sooners struggling on offense so far this season since hitting conference play, Venables fired offensive coordinator, Seth Littrell who was just hired this past off-season into the role.
Despite the Sooners beginning the season with redshirt freshman quarterback, Jackson Arnold at the controls, the former five star according to On3 was not able to find enough synergy with Littrell at the controls to catapult the Sooners to the amount of success required in the SEC.
Two examples in the SEC of head coaches that failed to fire a coordinator during the season that probably should have been Will Muschamp during his time at the University of Florida when he refused to part ways with offensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, and LSU’s Brian Kelly who refused to part ways with defensive coordinator Matt House.
Both eventually did part ways with their coordinators, but were end of season moves. The fact that Venables had the courage not only to do this in the middle of the season, but in year one of the coordinators’ tenure should be something he is praised for. Instead, the narrative is shaming the coach.
Oklahoma has been depleted with injuries
Since before fall camp, the Sooners have been depleted with injuries, specifically on offense. At present, the Sooners are without their top five wide receivers and an offensive line that is makeshift at best. The injuries showed themselves under offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh probably the most at any point this season this past weekend against Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels with the Sooners allowing 10 sacks.
While every team has injuries, the Sooners unfortunately have had seemingly worse lucks than the rest. Not only have they had a lot, but the bulk of them seem to all be on the same side of the ball, which is offense.
Venables has a 10-win season
Recency bias and overreaction as mentioned are real. And its funny how quickly fans forget that the Sooners were a 10-win team just one season ago in their final year in the Big 12. While the counter argument is that they were a member of the Big 12 and not the SEC, the Sooners as a team improved incrementally in year two under Venables on both sides of the ball in 2023. And that is without all of the injuries.
The 2023 season for the Sooners included a win against the rival Texas Longhorns who were ranked third in the country at the time. What is also worth noting is that while Venables went 10-3 in his second year with the Sooners, the coach on the other end of the rivalry in Steve Sarkisian who is consistently praised only went 8-5 with the Longhorns.
Brent Venables has beaten Nick Saban twice
Hugh Freeze is the only other coordinator or head coach currently in the SEC that can say he has beaten Nick Saban twice. Freeze defeated the seven-time national champion Saban twice during his time as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels.
While Venables did not defeat Saban as a head coach, he did so as defensive coordinator for the Clemson Tigers on Dabo Swinney’s staffs in 2016 and 2018. In 2018, Venables helped the Tigers beat the Tide 44-16, which was one of the worst defeats in Saban’s tenure with the Tide.
Expect the Sooners to continue to be the butt of all the jokes for the remainder of 2024 due to a depleted roster. But with all of the injuries and track record of success with Venables, expect them to be a program that will bounce back in 2025. And therefore, you should expect Venables to remain in Norman long-term.