The Oklahoma Sooners are set to play the Navy Midshipmen in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday, December 27. Then, the questions begin.
Oklahoma has already indicated that it will not likely move on from Brent Venables following the end of the 2024 season. It simply wouldn't make sense, especially given his lofty reported $44 million buyout and the fact that Venables just hired Ben Arbuckle, the previous offensive coordinator at Washington State, to be his offensive coordinator.
A school that was about to make a change at head coach wouldn't allow him to make a major hiring just months before firing him. So, it seems pretty set in stone at this point that Venables will remain in Norman for the 2025 season.
But, there's an inkling for a beloved place that could eventually call him away from Oklahoma, especially if the 2025 season didn't work out. Is there a chance that Venables just simply doesn't enjoy the new world of college football and all the ins and outs of being a head coach? Perhaps he misses the days where his primary duty was calling defensive plays, coaching linebackers, and developing recruits.
If that's the case, it would make total sense for Venables to make his return to Dabo Swinney and Clemson.
If Clemson doesn't make a move with its defensive coordinator this season in Wes Goodwin, it would stand to reason that he will absolutely be out the door following 2025 if things continue to progress the way they're going. Clemson's rush defense was horrid in 2024 and, honestly, it's the reason that they lost to Louisville, South Carolina, and Texas.
The offense wasn't great against any of those teams, but the defense's inability to stop the run was a problem that persisted all season, never getting fixed.
While a reunion with Brent Venables likely wouldn't happen this offseason, we'd at least say that Dabo Swinney should give his former colleague a call just to gauge his interest. We've seen other Power-4 head coaches leave their programs to become coordinators and, perhaps, there's some interest from Brent Venables to do so.
Again, we'd surmise that the earliest a move like this could happen would be after the 2025 season when Oklahoma hypothetically decides to fire Venables.
But, we'd argue that it may actually be in Venables' best interest to leave Norman now. If he truly isn't happy being a head coach, this would be the perfect opportunity for him to rejoin a staff and team filled with talent. He'd instantly give Clemson a boost and would be the highest-paid coordinator in the nation. Job security is at a premium in today's landscape and he'd absolutely have that with a return to Clemson.
Now, Venables will have other opportunities even if Clemson fires Goodwin this offseason and hires another defensive coordinator. But, there are few positions that seem like a better fit for Venables than a return to the place where he helped win multiple national championships, especially as Clemson continues to navigate the portal and NIL.
Is it going to happen? Likely not. But, there are certainly reasons to believe that this is the move Venables should make.