'College GameDay' Crew Has 'Extraordinary Confidence' in Brent Venables Leading Oklahoma in New SEC Era

Oklahoma's SEC opener against Tennessee on Saturday has garnered national attention, including bringing the popular pregame show to Norman.

Gameday host Rece Davis / Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

NORMAN — It was way back in 2000 when Rece Davis first met Brent Venables only days before Oklahoma won its last national championship. 

A lot has changed for them both in the last 24 years, but according to Davis, the years have gone almost as expected for Venables.

Then, Davis was interviewing Venables only a few years into his ESPN career. Venables was co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Sooners, only seven seasons into his coaching career. Venables wasn’t even the leader of the defense, sharing those duties with Mike Stoops, yet when Venables left the room, Davis felt assured that man would be a head coach someday. 

“That’s the only surprise I have about Brent is that he waited as long as he did –  and he had opportunities – but waited as long as he did to find the right spot,” Davis says 24 years later. “I’ve got extraordinary confidence in him. I think he’s a tremendous leader. I think he’s got great vision. I think that he demands excellence. Look, there’s always a little bit of a learning curve, growing pains or whatever – he’s gonna be fine. If there’s anyone whose confidence is wavering in Brent Venables, in my judgment, that’s misguided. I think he’s a really, really good coach.” 

It wasn’t until 2022 when Venables was named a head coach. After a decade as Clemson’s defensive coordinator, Venables returned to OU to lead the Sooners. With OU’s impending move from the Big 12 to the SEC, Lincoln Riley went West to USC in the Pac-12. The Sooners then not only needed someone new to lead their football program, but guide it into a completely new era.

That new era is now real, with OU’s SEC opener against sixth-ranked Tennessee finally here on Saturday night. That’s what brought Davis to Norman to cover Venables again, now as the host of ESPN’s "College GameDay." Davis and ESPN’s college football betting analyst “Stanford Steve” Coughlin met with the media Friday as the "College GameDay" set was assembled behind them to give their input on the state of OU’s program from a national perspective. 

“Have confidence in your team,” Coughlin said. “You got your guy. This is the coach you wanted when the other guy left. It’s an opportunity. You have an opportunity to showcase everything you have. It’s a very proud school, fan base, alumni, the team, the coaching staff – enjoy it. You don’t get these stages often, and when you do, you got to capitalize on it. I keep going back to opportunity. Everything you want moving forward to take those steps that you want to get in that top five in the country, get in the top 10, it’s right here. This is a major step. So embrace the journey. Make the most of tomorrow, and most importantly, win the game.” 

And if there’s one thing Venables has done during this change, it’s embrace it.  

“As competitors, as a football program, you know, Oklahoma isn't intimidated as a football program,” Venables said at SEC Media Days. “We're running towards the SEC. I think that goes without saying. We've looked forward for the last several years for this partnership, to be a part of an amazing conference, the best conference in college football. How ready we are, we're excited for the challenge. I think you have to go through it. I think it's probably -- as a coach, I think going through it gives you the best litmus test. …

“And so it's a conference that's about earning what you get, and I think going through it a season you'll figure that out. You'll figure out what was good, what wasn't good, the areas of your program, your roster that need improvement so that you can match up and have an opportunity to compete for championships.” 

So after years of preparation, that test is here. A top 10 team will visit Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Tennessee boasts one of the best offensive and defensive lines in the country. With the betting line currently at 6.5, it’s the first time since 1998 OU is a touchdown underdog at home. The matchup has been deemed the game of the week, garnering GameDay, a primetime spot and national attention. It’s exactly what OU asked for when it joined the SEC. It’s exactly what Venables was hired to lead the Sooners through. 

“I believe that this is the day that conference realignment becomes reality,” Davis said. “Before, it’s just been a patch on a jersey. Oklahoma’s had the patch on the jersey and the logos around that says SEC for a few months now. This is when it becomes reality, when you play a big game against a conference opponent – one that we’ve seen as often in major bowl games over the years as we have in the regular season.”