WATCH: Oklahoma football spotlights new internship program as part of SOUL mission

Brent Venables learned a lot from his time at Clemson, and now he is looking take it with him to Oklahoma. One of first examples of that came Monday, as several Oklahoma football players provided an update from an internship program started by Venables.

Those featured in the video were running back Jaden Knowles, receiver Major Melson, long snapper Ethan Lane, defensive back Doug Collins and safety Bryson Washington. Although Knowles’ internship was taking place in West Palm Beach, the rest of the Sooners stayed in the state for theirs.

S.O.U.L.Mission =#GoBeGreat #ServantSooners #DreamChasers#BeUncommon https://t.co/qMlVcfL8I2

— Brent Venables (@CoachVenables) May 16, 2022

The internships are a part of what Venables has dubbed the “SOUL mission.” Former OU stars Josh Norman, Curtis London and Caleb Kelly will lead the SOUL mission, which Venables, associate head coach Todd Bates and director of player personnel JR Sandlin came up with over dinner one evening. It is extremely similar to the P.A.W. program at Clemson, which coach Dabo Swinney started in 2008.

“It’s a leadership initiative program,” Venables explained. “As you know, it’s all encompassing. Their manhood, mentorship, there’s a spiritual aspect. Shame on us if we don’t provide opportunities for young people to grow in their faith. I’m not here to save everybody, but I do have values in that I’m a Christian. It’s all voluntary. That’s the other cool thing. The staff is at every practice and meeting. They’re very intertwined in our players’ lives. I remember as a young person getting ready for my last year in college, I was so scared. There wasn’t somebody I could go to and say, ‘How do I know what I’m good at?’ The answer to that was to go see the career development officer. And I don’t know them. Having an in-house staff that can major in those areas, which it’s not just the career, it’s a lot of things. It’s a mental health aspect that’s very real. It’s time management.”

Venables also said he hopes that the SOUL Mission can lead to promising opportunities off the field for Sooners players. In taking over as the Oklahoma head coach, he hopes to build a program that is about more than winning football games, and the internship aspect of the SOUL Mission is a big part of that.

“For me, I was like ‘That’s gotta be the backbone of the program,’” he said. “Because if you make it all about winning and chasing championships, that’s gonna be a very empty, unfulfilling journey. You can be dysfunctional and really good. I think some of the best of the best programs, when they focus only on winning, they’re exactly that. We have an opportunity to have some generational change if we can keep the main thing the main thing. That’s equipping these young people and pouring life into them. Making sure that we’re not just asking the right questions, but putting the right resources and people where they need to be.”