Brent Venables Confirms Oklahoma Will Retain Offensive Assistants

The OU head coach confirmed that Bill Bedenbaugh, Joe Jon Finley, Emmett Jones and DeMarco Murray would all serve under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Oklahoma’s offensive staff will look familiar next year according to Brent Venables. 

New offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was officially announced by the program in a press release on Monday night, but one quote stuck out from the otherwise standard unveiling. 

“I'm incredibly excited to see our offense reach new heights under Ben's guidance and leadership, working alongside the rest of our offensive staff of Coach (Joe Jon) Finley, Coach (Bill) Bedenbaugh, Coach (DeMarco) Murray and Coach (Emmett) Jones,” Venables said in the press release. 

At his Signing Day press conference on Wednesday, Venables was asked directly if that meant his on-field staff would stay aboard to work under Arbuckle in 2025. 

“We’ll retain all of them,” Venables said. 

Anytime a new coordinator comes in, they can opt to bring in their own position coaches to run the new scheme. 

But Arbuckle is content to roll with the guys Venables already had in place. 

Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh seems like a logical option to retain considering his track record in the past and the gradual improvements his 2024 offensive line made late in the season once the Sooners settled on a consistent starting lineup. 

Bedenbaugh also signed four offensive lineman early on Wednesday, and has 5-star offensive tackle Michale Fasusi committed while OU, Texas and Texas A&M await his final decision on Wednesday afternoon. 

Retaining Emmett Jones makes sense as well. He brought along an unknown receiver group in 2023 that ended up being one of the strength’s of OU’s offense. His 2024 unit was depleted by injuries, rendering it almost impossible to make an impact. 

The decision to retain Joe Jon Finley and DeMarco Murray was less of a known heading into the offseason. 

Finley did an admirable job as the interim play caller, including his work to put together the excellent game plan to beat Alabama, but his tight end group has been a glaring weakness for two consecutive seasons. 

Austin Stogner was virtually the only guy who chipped in through the 2023 season, and the combination of Bauer Sharp and Jake Roberts underwhelmed in OU’s first season in the SEC. 

Murray was sought after by a number of teams, both in the college ranks and in the NFL, last offseason, but his unit was the source of questions for the second straight year. 

In 2022, it took half the year for Oklahoma to settle on Gavin Sawchuk as its lead back. 

This year it seemed Jovantae Barnes would be that guy, as Sawchuk never really got going, but true freshman Xavier Robinson looked to be the most explosive guy by the end of the year. He set Oklahoma up for what should have bee a game-winning drive against Missouri, and then Robinson ran through the Crimson Tide defense like a 5-star prospect. 

Staffs across the country are still getting filled, so it’s technically a possibility that another school could make a run at OU’s assistants, but Venables indicated they’d have a home on Oklahoma’s sideline next fall.