Oklahoma Football Coach Brent Venables, Assistants Get Raises, New Contracts

Coordinators Jeff Lebby and Ted Roof's contracts were approved; Bill Bedenbaugh is the highest-paid non-coordinator; DeMarco Murray got the biggest raise.

As expected, Oklahoma football coach Brent Venables' contract terms were approved on Wednesday as the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents held a scheduled meeting in Oklahoma City.

Venables' new six-year contract will average $7 million a year ($6.4 million starting in 2022) and includes an automatic $100,000 annual raise. He also gets a $600,000 annual retirement contribution, plus incentive bonuses. Of Venables' income, the school pays the base salary of $325,000, while the rest comes from private contributions.

Regents also approved contract terms for Venables' new staff. 

• Defensive tackles coach Todd Bates got a three-year deal that pays him $1.82 million overall.
• Defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis got a two-year contract worth $600,000 a year.
• Cornerbacks coach Jay Valai got a two-year deal worth $1.31 million total.
• Safeties coach Brandon Hall got a two-year deal worth $300,000 a year.

The contract terms of offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and defensive coordinator Ted Roof had been previously reported and were approved Wednesday by the regents. 

Lebby, an OU grad, will be paid $1.8 million this year and gets a $100,000 annual raise over the course of his three-year, $5.7 million contract, pushing his salary to $1.9 million in 2023 and $2 million in 2024. He reportedly made $1.2 million from Ole Miss this season, and had a $750,000 buyout.

Roof also gets a three-year deal worth $3.45 million. Roof’s salary in 2022 will be $1.1 million, and he’s scheduled for raises to $1.15 million in 2023 and $1.2 million in 2024.

The rest of the OU staff retained by Venables got new contracts and raises as well.

• Running backs coach DeMarco Murray got the biggest bump, from $350,000 to $400,000, and his contract was extended through the 2024 season.
• Offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh got a $10,000 annual raise and an extension that takes him to $820,000 a year through 2024.
• Receivers coach Cale Gundy got a two-year extension through 2024 worth $610,000 a year, a raise of $10,000.
• Tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley got a $10,000 raise on the three-year deal he signed last year, which runs through 2024 and takes him to $520,000 a year.

As previously reported in the Board of Regents' agenda released earlier in the week, new staffers like special teams quality control coach Jay Nunez ($110,000), senior defensive analyst Xavier Brewer ($100,000), senior offensive analyst Matt Holocek ($100,000), SOUL Mission directors Ryan Young ($110,000) and Curtis Lofton ($100,000) and director of player personnel/recruiting J.R. Sandlin ($100,000) were also added the athletic department payroll.

So was strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt (two years, $650,000 a year), assistant strength coach James Dobson ($225,000), assistant strength coach Josue Matias ($150,000), assistant strength coach Reggie McGrew ($100,000) and executive director for football administration Thad Turnipseed (two years, $350,000 a year).

The regents also approved the addition of Norman attorney Woody Glass to the administrative staff at $275,000 a year.

Actions were also taken on first-year basketball coaches Jennie Baranczyk and Porter Moser. Both coaches received contract extensions. Baranczyk was extended from 2025 to 2027, while Moser was extended from 2026 to 2028.

Baranczyk, in leading the Sooners to a 23-7 regular season in her first year, got a raise from $475,000 to $550,000, and will get a $25,000 annual raise.

Moser, whose team goes into Thursday's Big 12 Tournament with a 17-14 record, did  not receive a raise on his contract, which pays $2.8 million a year