Mark Stoops opens up on his family relationship with Brent Venables

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has been close with Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables for years. With the Sooners coming over to the SEC, the two will now face off against each other regularly moving forward.

Stoops opened up about his relationship with Venables at SEC Media Days on Thursday and shared what it will be like competing against him.

“Brent was almost like a — I don’t want to say a brother or cousin or whatever, but he was very close to the Stoops family, for sure, Bob and Mike. He played at Kansas State with Bob and then watched him get into the profession, and both Bob and Mike had a lot of confidence in him and gave him some opportunities in coaching early because he earned them and they believed in him,” Mark Stoops said.

“Obviously he’s produced. I just think from afar, myself, have great admiration for what he’s doing and certainly proud that he’s taken over Oklahoma and doing such a great job because the Sooners will always have a special place in all of our hearts for the time and effort that Bob and Mike both put in there and our family rooting for him for so many years, and Brent is going to do a great job there.”

Brent Venables is entering his third season as the head coach at Oklahoma. The Sooners finished 10-3 last year, leading to Venables getting a contract extension this offseason.

In addition to Oklahoma, Texas is also joining the SEC for 2024. Stoops is close with plenty of people in Austin, too.

“Obviously with Oklahoma and Texas joining our great conference, just makes it that much stronger. But it’s kind of interesting for me… I’m so familiar with both Texas and Oklahoma. Obviously with OU, Brent Venables, I’ve known Brent since he played, his first year coaching and worked with my brothers, been very close to Brent for a long time, and Joe Castiglione and even the president, Joe Harris, who’s very close with Bob,” Venables said.

“You go over to Texas even, and Sark and I go back to competing against each other way back when we were in the west, playing out west, and I was at Arizona and he was at USC and Washington and crossed paths many times, and Chris Del Conte at Texas, who was with us at Arizona. There’s just so many good friendships, and obviously me being in the league so many years, get along so well and have such respect for all the coaches that are in our conference, and of course we welcome Oklahoma and Texas and make us that much stronger. It’s difficult, but we embrace that.”