Oklahoma, defensive coordinator Ted Roof mutually agree to part ways

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables announced on Thursday that defensive coordinator Ted Roof will not return as the DC for the Sooners.

“University of Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables announced Thursday that OU and defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Ted Roof have mutually agreed to part ways,” Oklahoma said in a statement.

Roof came over with Brent Venables when Venables was hired as the head coach at OU. He previously served under Venables as a defensive analyst at Clemson, before Venables left Clemson for the Sooners head coaching job.

Roof is a longtime defensive assistant who also spent time at Georgia Tech, Duke, Auburn, NC State and other FBS programs.

“I have the utmost respect and appreciation for Ted,” Brent Venables said in a statement. “I told him Wednesday I made a decision to go in a new direction at defensive coordinator and offered him an opportunity to remain on our staff in a different role. He explained that he has a deep desire to keep coaching and will look to do that at a different school.”

Oklahoma finished the 2023 season with a 10-3 record. The Sooners ranked No. 79 nationally in total defense and No. 48 nationally in coaching defense in 2023.

This move comes as Oklahoma prepares for its first season in the SEC in 2024.

“Ted is an incredibly knowledgeable coach and teacher, and his players love playing for him,” Venables said. “Our program is thankful for his extreme dedication the last two seasons and for helping make us better.”

Venables added that his search for a new defensive coordinator will begin immediately.

Ted Roof leaving Oklahoma means that Venables is replacing both his offensive and defensive coordinator after Year 2 in Norman.

Former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby was hired as the head coach at Mississippi State in November.

Brent Venables is 16-10 in two seasons as the head coach of the Sooners. After going 6-7 in 2022, OU bounced back to finish 10-3 in 2023, including a win over rival Texas.

This is an important offseason for Venables and Oklahoma, who also lost starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel to the transfer portal after the regular season.

The Sooners will now turn to Jackson Arnold as their starting quarterback. Arnold was ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 8 overall player in the country in the class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry rankings. He will lead a new-look Sooners program in 2024.