Venables draws from the Saban playbook
Venables draws from the Saban playbook
The first-year Oklahoma coach seems to be taking a lesson from the iconic Alabama coach as he continues to assemble his first staff in Norman.
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Brent Venables has reportedly hired Matt Wells to an off-field support staff role, according to The Athletic.
Wells was last at Texas Tech as the program’s head coach. He was fired amid the Red Raiders’ 2021 campaign, despite a 5-3 start.
Wells, who quarterbacked Utah State in the ‘90s, was raised in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, and should serve as a great resource for Venables in recruiting the region.
Having another former head coach in the room can’t hurt either.
Venables has assembled a staff that boasts plenty of young and energetic assistants, but the first-time head coach has wisely brought on a few experienced names to help him lay the foundation for his program.
While Wells didn’t find much success at Texas Tech in the time he was afforded, he did a solid job at Utah State from 2013-18 as the program’s head coach. In his final season with the Aggies, Utah State went 10-2 and finished tied for first in the final Mountain West Conference standings at 7-1 in league play.
Having a guy who’s been in the head-coach chair before can only be helpful for Venables, who also brought on former Duke head coach Ted Roof as one of his defensive coordinators.
OU’s coaching offices aren’t yet flooded with former head coaches like Alabama, which has notoriously hired out-of-work head coaches essentially as a stopgap until the next job arrives.
But if Venables can take enough pages out of Alabama’s playbook and find success, any concern about his inexperience will quickly vanish.
🌊 Big pickup
Oklahoma’s defensive line depth took a hit this offseason with the likes of Perrion Winfrey, Isaiah Thomas and Nik Bonitto no longer on campus.
The Sooners turned to the transfer portal to bolster their numbers in the trenches and landed the commitment of Tulane defensive tackle Jeffery Johnson, who’s already making an impact with assistant Todd Bates’ group.
• Why this matters: OU's defense needed to reload but Johnson isn’t just another number on the roster. The 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle was a four-year starter at Tulane, where he registered 44 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one quarterback hurry last season. Even as a newcomer to the program, his experience and leadership will be key to a group that doesn’t have much returning in 2022.
• Quotable: Jeffery Johnson on transferring to OU from Tulane: “I’m kind of still trying to wrap my hand around it, the fact that I’m at Oklahoma. A lot of people saying, ‘Oh man, you’re at Oklahoma.’ I’m like yeah, I’m at Oklahoma. I sit in my room at night, I’m like, ‘I’m at Oklahoma.’ That’s kind of cool.” (via SoonerScoop.com)
💰 Home improvement
OU athletics received a $1.75 million donation from the McCasland Foundation, the university announced this week.
• How the money will be spent: $1.25 million will be spent on McCasland Field House renovations, while the rest ($500,000) will go toward OU softball’s stadium construction project.
McCasland Field House, which hosts OU men’s gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling, will receive an updated lobby, team locker rooms, coaching offices and training areas with the gift.
• Quotable: OU athletics director Joe Castiglione on the gift: “McCasland Field House has such rich history and those who pass through the distinct wooden doors feel it right away. This unique intersection of honoring and celebrating the past while continuing to move forward in supporting our elite-level programs that call McCasland Field House home is extremely important and we are incredibly thankful to the McCasland Foundation and the McCasland Family for joining us in this mission."
📚 Read options
Big 12 fan survey: Coach approval ratings, future realignment hopes and good riddance to Texas and Oklahoma (via The Athletic)
'Be ready for whatever': Why Key Lawrence didn't flinch following OU football's coaching change (via The Oklahoman)
'The easiest part of the decision': How Brent Venables, Ted Roof kept DaShaun White in the fold with Sooners (via The Oklahoman)
2023 WR Ashton Cozart committed to Oklahoma's 'second to none' culture (via SI Sooners)
Sooners' D.J. Graham, still known for Nebraska interception, excited for 'clean slate' under mentor Jay Valai (via OU Daily)
🎥 Watch highlights from OU’s practice on Thursday (via Sooner Scoop)
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