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Oklahoma Sooners officially announce Brent Venables as head coach

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•12/05/21•

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Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables on the sideline against the Kansas State Wildcats. (Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)

For just the third time since 1999, the Oklahoma Sooners officially have a new head football coach. Their official Twitter account welcomed Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables to Norman on Sunday night.

Venables joined Bob Stoops’ staff in 1999 as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. He won the national championship with the Sooners in 2000 and appeared in another two in 2003 and 2008. Oklahoma decided to move on from Venables in 2011, letting him go to Clemson to be with Dabo Swineey. Another two national championships are now under his belt (2016 and 2018).

“We’re looking forward to making another decade-plus of incredible memories as we transition to a new era of Oklahoma football, especially with the opportunity & the challenge to join the SEC, the premier conference in all of college football,” Venables said in a statement on Sunday.

Oklahoma is in need of a quick short-term repair, trying to finish strong with the 2022 recruiting class and preventing more entries into the transfer portal. Venables will have 10 days on the recruiting front, with a whole offseason to sell his vision to current Sooner players.

Bob Stoops is still the interim head coach for Oklahoma. They have a date against the Oregon Ducks on Dec. 28 in the Alamo Bowl. Stoops has said he will be the head coach for as long as he is needed but Venables will be ready to take over before the new year.

Brent Venables targeting SEC OC

Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby could be on his way to Norman with Venables. According to a report from ESPN’s Chris Low, now that the Clemson defensive coordinator has officially been named the Oklahoma head coach, Lebby could be up next.

“Ole Miss’ Jeff Lebby is Venables’ top choice as offensive coordinator, sources tell ESPN,” Low said in a tweet.

The 37-year old coach impressed many with his work at UCF, where he was an offensive assistant for two seasons. Then, Lane Kiffin hired Lebby as his offensive coordinator when he took the job at Ole Miss.

Since then, Lebby’s offenses have been tough to stop. The Rebels have been one of the most exciting teams to watch in the nation, and quarterback Matt Corral will likely be in New York for the Heisman ceremony.

After signing an extension on Saturday, Kiffin will be in Oxford for the foreseeable future. However, it’s evident that Lebby may be leaving him.