Report: Brent Venables received fully guaranteed contract from Oklahoma
Brent Venables’ return to Oklahoma to become the head coach was one of the highest-profile coaching changes of the 2022 cycle. Friday night, The Athletic reported his full contract details.
Oklahoma gave Venables a six-year, $43.5 million fully guaranteed contract, The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel reported via a copy of the contract he obtained. He’ll make $7 million this season — his first as the Sooners’ head coach — and will receive $100,000 escalators every year until his deal runs out Jan. 31, 2028. If he leads Oklahoma to a national title, he’ll receive a $400,000 bonus.
Additionally, if Oklahoma decided to fire Venables after just one season, the Sooners would pay $36 million to do so. Mandel noted that’s “extremely unlikely,” but the clause remains in the contract. Another clause states Venables must make “reasonable, continued and diligent efforts” to look for a new job in coaching or broadcasting to take the amount owed down based on his new salary.
CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel
If Venables was to voluntarily leave for another job, though, he’d pay a buyout of $7 million after year one and that number drops $2 million every year until it gets down to $2 million in 2025.
Top 10
- 1New
Solution for targeting
Connor Stalions weighs in
- 2
Jimbo Fisher
Flashes Hook'em at Texas fans
- 3Hot
Will Howard denied
Rose Bowl officials refuse to let QB on stage
- 4
Ohio State vs. Texas odds
Cotton Bowl point spread released
- 5
Kenny Dillingham
ASU coach blasts targeting review
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Oklahoma is 4-3 amid Venables’ first season back in Norman since he was an assistant under Bob Stoops. The Sooners halted their three-game losing streak last week by defeating Kansas, and that marked the program’s first three-game skid since 1998. Oklahoma is currently on a bye week and will get the schedule started again next week against Iowa State.
The future at OU looks bright from a roster standpoint, though. The Sooners currently have the No. 6-ranked recruiting class for the class of 2023, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking, meaning Venables is doing work on the trail. Five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold leads the group as the No. 13 player in the country, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.