Oklahoma Sooners, Brent Venables targeting Alabama assistant coach

According to Matt Zenitz of On3, the Oklahoma Sooners are targeting Alabama cornerbacks coach Jay Valai for the same position in Norman. While the deal is not officially done, “the expectation is that he will be hired” per Zenitz.

If Sooners head coach Brent Venables is able to pull off the move, this would be Valai’s fifth job within the past fifth seasons. Before working with the Crimson Tide this year, he was on staff with Tom Herman and the Texas Longhorns.

Ironically, after Steve Sarkisian was hired in Austin, Valai was not retained and instead headed to the SEC program.

Valai was the cornerbacks coach at Rutgers during the 2019 season and was with the Kansas City Chiefs serving as defensive quality control and assistant defensive backs coach.

Recruiting is one of the top attributes Valai will bring to the Oklahoma staff, especially within the state of Texas. An area crucial to the Sooners’ success, Valai was able to pull in three of the top defensive back from the Lone Star state of the Longhorns’ 2021 class.

Now, he will be on the other side of the Red River in the crimson and cream.

Oklahoma Sooners make second defensive hire of the day

Oklahoma and new head coach Brent Venables just dealt a huge blow to the Clemson coaching staff. Venables has hired Tigers defensive tackles coach Todd Bates for the same position in Norman, according to Tigers Illustrated’s Larry Williams. Bates also served as Clemson’s recruiting coordinator and as Dabo Swinney’s assistant head coach.

Todd Bates joined the Clemson staff as defensive line coach in January 2017. He helped the Tigers clinch the national title in 2018 and reach the big game once again in 2019. He added recruiting coordinator to his title after earning Rivals’ national recruiter of the year award in 2019.

Bates came to Clemson after spending three years at Jackson State. They went 33-6 in three seasons (2014-16). The Gamecocks reached the FCS National Championship Game in 2015 and compiled a perfect 23-0 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference with three titles in his time there.

The new Oklahoma defensive line coach was a defensive end himself at the University of Alabama. After earning a captainship for the Crimson Tide, he went on to play in the NFL for the Titans in 2005 and 2006.

After the NFL, Bates began coaching in the high school ranks. He started at Talladega (Ala.) High School in 2007, then served at Oxford (Ala.) High School from 2008-11.