Brent Venables claims unaware Art Briles was on sidelines, Oklahoma 'dealing with it'

Art Briles, who was the head coach at Baylor during its rise on the field and widespread sexual assault scandal in the early 2010s — one that ultimately resulted in him leaving in disgrace — made an appearance on a college football sideline on Saturday night. Briles, a Texas native, was spotted in Norman, Oklahoma, watching Oklahoma play SMU.

It was apparently not something that Sooners head coach Brent Venables was aware of. And Briles’ presence was seemingly not entirely welcomed by the head man in Norman.

After the game, Venables said he learned about it once the game concluded and it was “being dealt with,” according to SoonerScoop’s Georga Stoia.

Jeff Lebby, Briles’ son-in-law, is the Oklahoma offensive coordinator.

“He’s my father in law. That’s the grandfather to my two kids. He was down there with my entire family well after the game,” Lebby said.

How Venables and/or Oklahoma respond to Briles attendance beyond Saturday night remains to be seen.

Venables is big on the game day atmosphere in Norman

There are a lot of components that come into play when recruiting players to suit up for your college football program. Venables understands it’s more than just meetings and great conversations with recruits that ultimately gets them to commit to your program.

Recently, the Sooners headman took some time to stress the importance of having a great gameday atmosphere when it comes to recruiting.

“Well, having a good game day atmosphere makes a big impression. Most young men want to play in an intense, passionate environment,” said Venables. “They’re paying attention to everything. So, once we got into the stadium, it was fantastic. There’s a good group of people that are always excited and eager to welcome us.

“But everything does matter. Those recruits travel around the country. We’re not recruiting against the Mid-America Conference. We’re recruiting against the best of the best. And so that is always the perspective recruits are going to bring to the table.”

In his first season spearheading the Oklahoma football program, Venables experienced his fair share of growing pains on the field. However, when it came to recruiting, he was able to step up the quality of the Sooners’ recruiting class in comparison to last season, jumping from eighth in the nation to sixth, according to On3’s Recruiting Database.

Whether it is the atmosphere, his coaching style, or the rich history of the Oklahoma football program, Venables is using all the tools at his disposal to ensure that the Sooners remain among the best of the best in college football so long as he is leading the charge.