Brent Venables' S.O.U.L. Mission Already Paying Dividends at Oklahoma
Brent Venables is already leaving his fingerprints on the Oklahoma football program.
The new OU coach has installed the S.O.U.L. mission in Norman, and he’s already getting rave reviews.
Standing for serving our uncommon legacy, the S.O.U.L. Mission is a four-man team consisting of former Sooners Josh Norman, Curtis Lofton and Caleb Kelly, as well as former Kansas State standout Ryan Young.
The goal of the player development program is to help fill in the gaps left between the on-the-field coaching and the wholistic approach Venables brings to the table trying to help the maturation process of the players within the program into successful adults beyond football.
“I’ve been a lot of places, been with a lot of head coaches,” OU tight ends/H-backs coach Joe Jon Finley said during a spring press conference on Thursday. “… But the S.O.U.L. mission is the player development part of it, I’ve never been around anything like it. It’s something, if I ever get to be a head coach, that’s 100 percent going to be part of my program.
“… Everybody talks about, we’re going to develop you as a young man, but you come in here, you see four former players, all different ages, they’re with them every single day. Their office is right by their locker room. … Every one of these guys is touching our players, so you never miss. You never miss a guy that’s having a bad day. We need to find out why he’s having a bad day. All right? And that’s just part of it. You're preparing ‘em for life after football. It’s something that truly matters.”
The initiative is something running back coach and former OU star DeMarco Murray said he would have loved to have had at his disposal when he was playing for the Sooners.
“You don't have those types of relationships sometimes,” said Murray, “but I think it just brings a more cohesive unit together and just more of a family atmosphere together. We're just letting those guys depend on us because, hey, we're not just here for football.
“We're here for just, life, school, academics, girlfriends. Whatever the case may be that you're struggling with or that you're doing something good with."
The wide range of backgrounds within the S.O.U.L. Mission should bring a wealth of experience to serve the current student-athletes.
Kelly is just one season removed from taking the field for the Sooners. Lofton’s skillset took him to the NFL, and Norman won a National Championship with the Sooners in 2000.
Young also racked up NFL experience with the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys, before entering the media for a time, working with FOX Sports and ESPN radio.
The work done by the mission has even impressed offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, someone who has been on staff at Oklahoma since 2013 and seen a lot of football in Norman.
“I think it's been really good,” Bedenbaugh said. “I think you've got 100-something kids on your team, and guys are gonna have issues, whatever they may be. … These are four guys that just deal with life, understanding what it takes to be successful in life.
“Football teaches you a lot of those things. These are four guys they can go to that have sat in their seat — most of us have, but three of those guys have done it here at Oklahoma. They understand it. They're all three outstanding guys, were outstanding players here. Obviously, Ryan Young didn't play here, but as I get to know him, he's a great guy, and he's in it for the right reasons.”
In his opening press conference, Venables said a core goal of the program will be to recruit the guys on campus every day by pouring into each player, which in turn should help sustain a strong culture and prevent a massive pipeline into the transfer portal.
The S.O.U.L. Mission will be crucial in helping the Sooners achieve those goals, but it won’t stop there.
Each position coach will strive to continue to build lasting bonds on and off the field with his position group, working in tandem with the S.O.U.L. staffers to get the best out of every player in the program.
“They need to know that you care,” defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis said. “They need to know their identity. And they want to know that you love them. And if you love your players, you can coach them as hard as you want to.
“I think a great football coach is like, 50 percent a great psychologist. And understanding that, just like parenting, you can't treat all kids the same. And so different coaching techniques, and they all learn differently. I think being intentional with your words, I think getting to know parents, getting to know players, their likes and dislikes, their fears and aspirations, makes them a lot more likely to trust you and to be endeared to you and to play hard for you.”
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