Joel Klatt weighs in on Oklahoma coaching search, reveals his name to watch

FOX analyst Joel Klatt shared his thoughts on Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables possibly taking over at Oklahoma on Monday.

“Oklahoma football is one of the GREAT programs in history and is bigger than one man,” Klatt wrote on Twitter. “If, in fact, Venables is your guy then Sooners are in good hands. Would be a massively popular hire among former players who all LOVE this man.”

According to oddsmakers in Vegas, Venables has the best odds at +400 to replace Lincoln Riley in Norman. However, Lane Kiffin, Mark Stoops, and Matt Campbell also have good odds.

As I said yesterday: @OU_Football is one of the GREAT programs in history and is bigger than one man…If in fact Brent Venables is your guy then #Sooners are in good hands

Would be a massively popular hire among former players who all LOVE this man

— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) November 29, 2021

Venables has been at Clemson since 2012 and is without a doubt a top defensive coordinator in college football.

Since he got into coaching in 1993, Brent Venables has been to three different schools. Kansas State (1993-1995), Oklahoma (1996-2011), and Clemson (2012-present). His former school could present an intriguing opportunity, giving the long-time assistant his first head coaching job.

The 2016 Broyles Award winner helped Clemson to six straight ACC titles, six straight College Football Playoff berths and a pair of national titles over the past seven years.

Venables out recruiting for Clemson

If there’s movement on Brent Venables going to Oklahoma, it isn’t interfering with his recruiting for Clemson.

Venables was out at Hays High School in Kansas with Dabo Swinney on Tuesday afternoon.

The Hays Athletics Twitter account shared a photo of the coaches with 2021 Clemson linebacker commit Jaren Kanak.

Venables has plans to meet with Clemson cornerback commit Toriano Pride for an in-home visit Tuesday night.

Great visit with Clemson Head football coach Dabo Swinney and coach Brent Venables at Hays High today. pic.twitter.com/VqqKIgZbE2

— Hays HS Athletics (@HaysHighAD) November 30, 2021

Reporters asked Clemson cornerback Mario Goodrich about Venables possibly leaving for OU during an appearance on the ACC Network Tuesday morning. He said Venables is focused on recruiting at the moment.

“You know speculations come up every year about coach V,” Goodrich said. “I feel like this is his home and he’s just worried about recruiting right now, trying to bring the next best in.”