Matt Campbell reveals thoughts on Brent Venables

When Matt Campbell took over the Iowa State program in 2016, Bob Stoops was on the Oklahoma sideline coaching. Flash forward a few years and Brent Venables is now running the show in Norman, meaning a new coaching matchup will debut in the Big 12 once again. Despite their paths never fully crossing, there is respect between Campbell and Venables already.

Campbell revealed what he thought of Oklahoma’s new headman heading into their game but did not speak about football. Venables’ passion for helping younger people was something Campbell praised. He even thinks it’s one of the many examples of a coach being in the coaching world for the “right reasons.”

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“I think one of the things that stand out to me about him, more than anything, is what he stands for,” Campbell said. “I think there are some coaches in this profession that are in it for the right reasons and they care about kids. That want to see things done the right way and that is what has really impressed me about him getting to know Coach Venables.

“A guy that really cares about kids, getting to put them in the best position to be successful. But at the root of it, he really wants young people to have success and cares about them as young people. I think he’s great for our profession for sure.”

Campbell and Venables have been on opposing sidelines just once but their roles were significantly different. Venables was the Oklahoma defensive coordinator, while Campbell was getting his first bit of experience in coaching as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green.

Saturday will be quite different, with the two now facing off as head coaches. Both have struggled at times, with Oklahoma sitting at 4-3, while Iowa State stumbles in at 3-4. In fact, it’s the first unranked matchup in the series since 1999. The Sooners have mostly had a ranking next to their name as the results have favored them as well.

Even if Brent Venables comes out on top this Saturday, Campbell seemingly thinks the Oklahoma program is in the right hands. For somebody squaring off against a coach for the first time and having such high praise on a non-football-related topic, says a lot.