Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables Elaborates on Sooners' Big Recruiting Weekend

OU's first-year head coach pulled back the curtain to reveal some details and logistical challenges that go into hosting as many as 40 recruits and the benefits that follow,

NORMAN — A 6-5 record heading into Saturday's season finale at Texas Tech means Oklahoma has at least one eye on the future.

The Sooners hosted a colossal recruiting weekend as they took down Oklahoma State in a memorable Bedlam game. There's no official tally of high school and junior college prospects who attended, but it was easily around 40.

That list included members of the 2023 class, the 2024 class, the 2025 class and a 2026 or two. There were as many as seven 5-stars (per the 247 Sports rankings) and some who are committed elsewhere that the OU staff is hopeful of flipping.

And, as expected, there's been an immediate payoff, as OU landed 2023 verbal commitments from 3-star defensive tackle Ashton Sanders and 3-star edge rusher Taylor Wein.

"Obviously," head coach Brent Venables said Tuesday, "that was what you hoped and intended."

I asked Venables to elaborate on the process of hosting so many recruits from so many classes at one time, all while preparing for and playing a game and trying to prep for the next game.

"Having a great experience from the moment they get here," he said. "Whether that's an official visit or an unofficial visit. We've got a really good, strong staff. And that's full-time people, that's recruiting staff, that’s other support staff, student workers — bringing everybody together. I thought that Lee Davis and J.R. Sandlin do a terrific job. And then everybody that I just named — all hands on deck. There's a lot of coordination that takes place, a lot of details.

"It's always changing. Lots of communication — from the moment the first visitor arrives. And so you want it to be a wonderful experience, even if it's somebody that you're not necessarily (ranking) high on your list yet or ever going to be, if we're bringing them on our campus, we have a responsibility to make sure that we expose them to all the good things about (OU), that make Oklahoma a special place. And so having a great experience is is our responsibility to make sure that everyone does so. I think everybody did a great job of doing exactly that.

"But they start rolling in on Thursday. It is not an easy thing. And they're here a good part of Sunday. And because I told a lot of the full-time (coaching) staff, you know, 'That's great, but we have obligations (to the current team) that we have to do.' You only have so much time during the course of the week. There's a schedule that we got to stay on from a preparation standpoint, closing the books on the last game, film study, notes. Our players are coming in here expecting us to be 100 percent ready. And so managing that is also not an easy thing. And because you want to give people their proper sendoff and things of that nature — finish the visits the right way.

"So everything, from coming to the team hotel with with the guys, with the players, and seeing what that looks like, your Friday night’s meetings and dinner and movies, post-movie meetings as well. And then Saturday morning, what that looks like as well — game day, game day meetings.

"There's a lot that goes into it. It's not just, you know, gosh, go into a room and there's a meeting. There's philosophy, there’s the sports performance side of it that you always want to help lead guys and encourage them the right way. So they're exposed to a lot of things.

"And then getting over to campus and what that's like, making sure that they get exposed to a game day environment. And we're always trying to work as a staff too. We got a staff that's very experienced and been a lot of really great places in college football, and so we're always looking at how can we make things better. ‘Alright, this is good. How can we make it better?’ So if that's what it looks like to tailgate, you know, we're working hard, really, for the people. 

"Because I think that's — you know, you want a connected environment. And so meetings with me on game day — I don't have so much time; I get here two hours and 15 minutes before the game. And so you want some one-on-one meetings with guys that are committed, with guys that you've offered in the current class and the next class. You see you have to prioritize — I try to prioritize to the guys that are committed first and foremost.

"When you go on the field there's guys coming out to say hello on the field and you're always conscious of not trying to hurt anyone's feelings. And somebody's gonna always have their feelings hurt. But once we leave the meetings, you know, I'm running the defensive meeting, Jeff's running the offensive meeting, and then the rest of the ful- time staff are with the players in the hotel all day. They're back here working relentlessly. 

"... With lunches and tours — just like Daylan Smothers — oh, I'm sorry, I can't say his name. We had a recruit (whose) mother's never been here. From out of state. And so we had to make sure she got what would be almost like an official visit while she was here, the things that you're allowed to do an unofficial visit, make sure that she had a great peace of mind. She had a great experience. And so there's, you know, several instances like that.

"So all the while, there's other recruits that aren't here and that you're trying to stay in touch with throughout the course of the day. Maybe it's congratulate them on on a great win or you're sending them words of encouragement (because) their senior year is over now.

"So we do a great job. There's part of our staff that's always keeping you up to date, what's going on with other recruits, guys that are still playing and competing, or where they're at recruiting-wise, and so there's tons of communication, lots of information that runs ... across your desk, if you will, nonstop.

"You got early morning, Sunday morning breakfasts at my house. You know, we got meetings back here. You're trying to manage all that around — you know, your normal Sunday/Monday are probably your two most difficult, challenging days as a coach from a preparation standpoint. And so you got to manage all that together."