Oklahoma Defensive Coordinator Hot Board

Brent Venables is on the hunt for a new defensive coordinator after Zac Alley left for West Virginia following one season in Norman.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

For the second straight offseason, Brent Venables will have a new pair of coordinators. 

He’s already hired Ben Arbuckle from Washington State after having to fire Seth Littrell, but Saturday offered a postseason shock. 

Defensive coordinator Zac Alley, after spending just one year back with Venables, is reportedly headed to West Virginia. 

OU’s defense improved across the board with Alley in the fold in place of Ted Roof, which allowed Venables more time to try and help his struggling offense. 

The two previous defensive play callers Venables has hired at Oklahoma have both worked with him previously, and considering the stakes for the entire coaching staff heading into 2025, it’s likely he again turns to a familiar face to run his defense next season. 

Brandon Hall, Oklahoma

Oklahoma safeties coach Brandon Hall / STEVE SISNEY / USA TODAY NETWORK

First, let’s roll through the internal candidates to fill Alley’s spot. 

Brandon Hall has been in Norman through all of Venables’ first three seasons serving as the safeties coach, and he’s done a nice job bringing along Billy Bowman and Robert Spears-Jennings. 

He knows Venables’ scheme, and he’s called plays before. 

Hall left Troy to return to Norman where he served as the defensive coordinator from 2019-2021. 

Troy’s defense finished 24th in total defense in 2021, and his group made huge improvements from 2019 to 2020 under his guidance. 

Before joining the coaching staff at Troy, Hall was a co-defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State from 2014-2017.

Promoting Hall, or anyone currently on staff, could allow Venables to also promote defensive analyst and former Clemson linebacker James Skalski to linebackers coach which would allow the Sooners to keep some continuity on the defensive side of the ball. 

Todd Bates, Oklahoma

Oklahoma defensive tackles coach Todd Bates / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Defensive tackles coach Todd Bates is one of the Sooners’ three defensive coaches with a co-defensive coordinator title, and he’s coached with Venables before moving to Oklahoma.

Bates was added to Venables’ defensive staff at Clemson in 2017, meaning he’s coached in Venables’ defense for the last eight seasons.

Da’Jon Terry and Gracen Halton took steps forward this year working with Bates, and true freshman Jayden Jackson was excellent at the heart of the defensive line working under Bates. 

Promoting the defensive tackles coach would also allow Skalski to slide into the linebackers coach spot without having to make any external additions, but Bates has never called plays as a defensive coordinator, though he’d just be running Venables’ defense. 

Jay Valai, Oklahoma

Oklahoma cornerbacks coach Jay Valai / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cornerbacks coach Jay Valai is the third of OU’s defensive coaches with a co-defensive coordinator title.

He also arrived in Norman at the same time as Venables, but unlike Hall, Valai has no prior experience calling plays. 

He served as a defensive quality control coach at Georgia and with the Kansas City Chiefs before working as the cornerbacks coach for one year each at Rutgers, Texas and Alabama before landing on Venables’ staff. 

Wes Goodwin, Clemson

Clemson Tigers defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin / Ken Ruinard - Imagn Images

Moving onto the external candidates, Venables could turn to another familiar face. 

Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin slid in to take Venables’ slot when he came to Oklahoma, but he worked with Venables at Clemson over two stints. 

Goodwin first met Venables as a defensive analyst for the Tigers from 2012-2014.

He then had a stint with the Arizona Cardinals from 2015-2017 as an assistant to head coach Bruce Arians before coming back to Clemson from 2018-2021 to work as a senior defensive analyst to help with advanced scouting and recruiting. 

In 2022, Clemson ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense, rushing defense, sacks and tackles for loss. 

The Tigers ended as a top 10 unit in total defense in 2023, and this past season Clemson finished 52nd in scoring defense and 69th in total defense.