Big 12 Media Days: Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables Busy Setting the New Standard

Oklahoma's new man in charge is saying all the right things, but patience with the defensive growth is key.

Oklahoma has infamously slipped among college football’s elite defensive teams over the last decade. Brent Venables, meanwhile, was widely regarded as one of the top minds in the country on that side of the ball. 

In 2022, something’s got to give.

Oklahoma ranked No. 76 in the nation in total defense a season ago, marking a serious step backwards for a unit that looked to be improving. Notably, the Sooners struggled in the secondary and began to look unprepared down the stretch.

Clemson, on the other hand, experienced massive success with Venables calling the shots defensively. The Tigers consistently had a top defense not only in the ACC, but in the NCAA. In 2022, Clemson experienced a down year record-wise, but still managed to field the No. 8-ranked defense in the country.

It didn’t happen overnight, though.

“It's not going to be what I just left at Clemson,” Venables preached Thursday at Big 12 Media Day. “But it wasn't that way when we got there (to Clemson) in 2012, either. You develop that through a lot of work, a lot of players believing in what you're doing. Certainly, staff chemistry and cohesion is an incredible part of that.”

Since the day that Venables took the job at Oklahoma, he has been building that chemistry and cohesion. Setting the foundation and belief in year one could be huge for the Sooners’ defensive identity going forward.

“I have a very clear vision for what it looks like,” Venables said. “We've worked really hard and diligently the last several months to show our players, coach them, teach them, allow them to see it on videotape of what it looks like. A picture is worth a thousand words, and so really how long that process will take, it'll never happen fast enough. I can assure you.”

With the roster overhaul and the schematic differences, patience will be key in what the new staff is building. The process and the plan looks great on paper, but there’s a good chance it could take some time. At the peak of Oklahoma’s football dynasty, a defensive identity was established. Now, it’s Venables’ job to re-establish that culture at OU.

“Do we have to establish some standards at Oklahoma?” Venables asked. “Me as the head coach? Absolutely. That process took place from the moment I took the job. You have to rehearse your beliefs. You have to rehearse what your values are. You have to rehearse what your standards are continuously as you nurture and develop a culture of excellence, a culture of great defense, what that looks like.

“You've got to go through it to grow and improve. I have a very good perspective on what that's going to look like, both the highs and the lows of it. I think it's important that as we get into our inaugural season, we'll create a baseline and then we'll build from there.”

As the Sooners start to build upwards, Venables is confident the foundation being set seems to be sturdy.