It’s been a difficult first season in the SEC for Oklahoma and former Clemson assistant coach Brent Venables.

After beginning the 2024 campaign ranked No. 16 in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll, the Sooners are now unranked and currently sit at 5-5, including a 1-5 record in the SEC.

This week, despite the Sooners’ struggles, Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz and athletic director Joe Castiglione expressed support for Venables when asked about their confidence level with him.

“Obviously the season thus far has not gone as we hoped or planned,” Castiglione said, via Tulsa World Oklahoma beat writer Eric Bailey. “You know that’s disappointing to a lot of people, including us, even considering the significant challenges that we’ve had, such as an unusually high number of injuries. But it’s more disappointing for the players and the coaches who have invested so much in the season so far. We’re mindful that we haven’t met the Oklahoma standard for 2024.

“That said, we truly believe in Coach Venables and our team. We are completely focused on both supporting them and looking at all the ways to address the needed improvements now as soon as possible as well in preparation for next year and working with Coach Venables to help in all of that process. At the same time, we want to make sure we’re accentuating the strengths that we’re seeing developed in our program that are growing and performing at a rate that we also need to be successful in the SEC and beyond. So it’s a holistic approach to making sure that we’re focusing on all the important initiatives to support Coach Venables and our team.”

Now in his third season at Oklahoma, Venables has a 21-15 overall record to date.

In his first two years at Oklahoma from 2022-23, Venables went 16-10 overall, including a 10-8 mark in the Big 12. The Sooners finished the 2023 season with a 10-3 record (7-2 Big 12) and lost to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl, following Venables’ first season as Oklahoma’s head coach in 2022 when his team went 6-7 (3-6 Big 12) and lost to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Speaking about Venables this week, Harroz said the Sooners “have the right coach” and “this is our coach.”

“We know it’s been a tough season,” Harroz said, via Bailey. “I’ve been around Oklahoma football for a long time. We have the right coach. This is our coach. We knew it was going to be a tough year going to the SEC, the first year. You add that with all of the things that are taking place around the shifting NIL landscape… we knew there was going to be some turbulence. Obviously we’d loved to have had more wins. But our confidence in the coach, it’s as steady as it’s ever been.”

A former 13-year Oklahoma assistant coach who won a national championship with the Sooners and two more with Clemson during his 10-year stint as defensive coordinator, Venables was named OU’s 23rd head football coach Dec. 5, 2021.

The 53-year-old served as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Oklahoma from 1999-2003 and as associate head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2004-11 under former head coach Bob Stoops. Venables has coached in eight national championship games between his time at OU and Clemson, winning titles with the Sooners in 2000 and Tigers in 2016 and 2018.

Following its open date this weekend, Venables and Oklahoma will finish up the 2024 regular season with a home game against Alabama on Nov. 23 and then a road game at LSU on Nov. 30.

–Photo courtesy Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!