Desmond Howard provides glowing endorsement of Brent Venables

With reports surfacing that Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables could be named the next head coach at Oklahoma, ESPN’s Championship Drive spoke with former Michigan wide receiver and college football analyst Desmond Howard about the coaching carousel.

When asked about Brent Venables’ potential Oklahoma move, Desmond Howard provided a glowing review. From his patience finding the right opening to his defensive schemes, no aspect of the veteran’s journey went unpraised.

“Coach Venables is one of those guys, he had to hire a backup coach – get back coach – to grab his belt to bring him back every time he’s out there calling plays on the sideline because he would always go on the field,” Howard explained. “He has passion. He has energy. It was mentioned about his pay – don’t forget – Dabo Swinney, they gave him a lot of money to keep him there because he’s one of the more highly regarded defensive coordinators in all of college football.”

Desmond Howard on Brent Venables

Desmond Howard went on to discuss the fit at Oklahoma, along with his admiration for Brent Venables long wait to become a head coach in the right situation. At 50-years old, the veteran defensive assistant has only worked for three teams since 1993. After starting his career as a graduate assistant and linebacker coach at Kansas State, he spent time at Oklahoma before joining Clemson in 2012.

“I give Brent Venables credit,” said Howard. “Brent waited for the right job to open and now he’s going to be the lead dog, the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. So congratulations to him. I think it’s a great hire, he’s going to bring energy and passion. And one of the things we’ve always talked about Oklahoma recently is that they had tremendous offense, but their defense suffered. Not anymore, they should not lack on defense any longer.”

Setting a defensive blueprint at Oklahoma could help make the difference on the cusp of CFP contention, where the Sooners sat over the past several seasons. For those hoping to maintain the offensive dominance as well, rumors that Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is a top candidate to join Brent Venables if a move happens will serve as comfort.

In the meantime, interim coach Bob Stoops remains on the recruiting trail with what is left of the Oklahoma staff. As some rumored USC departures have been removed from the coaching list, others remain in Norman, Oklahoma for now.