Brent Venables reveals how he operates during practice

As Brent Venables mans the ship for the first time for the Oklahoma Sooners, the former Clemson defensive coordinator has taken a hands-on approach with his players this spring. Just a few months removed from coaching his unit at Clemson, it’s no surprise that Venables looks natural getting in the trenches.

With only 15 practices to use in the spring, every minute on the field is crucial and the new head coach is trying to set his standards early. However, as a former defensive assistant, he’s gravitated towards the defense on the field this spring.

Venables explained his approach to balancing his managerial-type duties and his coaching input this spring and for the 2022 regular season.

“Obviously, I’ve got great experience over there and foundationally, trying to set some standards, be an extra set of eyes and ears, blocking dummy, I’ll do whatever,” Venables said. “That’s my expectation and everybody’s the same way to make things easier and more efficient. Everybody’s got 20 hours a week right now, and we’ve got to make the most use of those 20 hours. That’s really what my involvement reasoning is, because I know what extra hats can do, extra bodies, extra voices. I love to do that. I love getting dirt under my fingernails, it’s a good thing.

“A lot of times the coaches don’t realize things so you’re just constantly putting down notes. It’s a normal 65-35 at any particular practice. You try to spend quality time with the offensive guys off the field and in the meeting room, too.”

I'll have to check our archives, but I don't recall video of the last head guy putting this kind of effort into personally teaching the linebackers smh pic.twitter.com/pB0y8BX7GK

— Lee Benson (@LeeBensonNews9) March 28, 2022

Venables addresses balancing expectations with learning this spring

In a press conference prior to the start of spring practice, the first-year Oklahoma coach addressed how he is balancing development and maintaining an expectation of success.

“Regardless of the situation, it doesn’t matter how many sacks you had last year or how many touchdowns you threw,” Venables said. “You gotta start over every year. Really, the balance is just organically there. I think you have to be intentional and meet guys where they’re at. You’ve gotta strain the ones that need to grow up faster. You can’t ask guys to do what they’re not able to do.

“To be successful, you’ve got to figure out quickly (your) strengths and weaknesses in your personnel and try to enhance those strengths and improve the weaknesses. Attack the weaknesses every day. There’s got to be a lot of awareness in what we’re doing and a lot of purpose as a staff in what we’re seeing and evaluating. We’re trying to meet guys where they’re at and take them to places they can’t take themselves.

“Again, this is a process. It’s the ‘get ready’ phase of our program. It’s about getting our guys on target and letting a guy like Jovantae Barnes, who just got here out of Las Vegas, know ‘Don’t worry about rushing for 1,000 yards as a freshman right now, Just worry about what stretch line to get in.’ Really, not taking any of that for granted and trying to expeditiously help all of it. It can’t ever happen fast enough, but to me, that’s who I have always been as a leader. Very demanding, high expectations, willing to do the work myself. Get in the mud with the guys and help them get to where we want to go quickly.”

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.