Brent Venables, the Oklahoma Sooners head coach, just dropped a pretty big bombshell at the spring Media Day today—March 5, 2025. He’s taking over the defensive play-calling for the 2025 season, and he’s not mincing words about why. “Why am I calling the defense? Because I’m good at it,” he said, straight up. Dude’s got a point—he’s been a defensive wizard for years, especially back at Clemson where he helped snag two national titles. You can tell he’s feeling himself on this one.
This all comes after a rough 2024 season—6-7, first year in the SEC, not exactly a fairy tale. His record’s sitting at 22-17 after three years, and the heat’s definitely on. With Zac Alley bolting to West Virginia and Jim Knowles not working out, Venables was like, “Screw it, I’ll do it myself.” He’s got this vibe about him when he talks about game day—like it’s his happy place. “Third-and-12, stadium’s buzzing, but for me, it’s quiet. I’m in my zone,” he said. Guy’s been coaching for 30 years, so you know he’s not sweating the pressure.
He’s not going full lone wolf, though. He’s brought in Nate Dreiling and Wes Goodwin to help out on D, and he’s pumped about Ben Arbuckle taking the offense. “We’re all in this together,” he said, which sounds cheesy but kinda makes sense—he’s banking on the whole squad stepping up. Last year was a mess without him calling plays, and with the SEC schedule being a meat grinder, 2025’s do-or-die. Another flop, and the Oklahoma faithful might lose it.
Venables is playing it like this is his comeback story. “No guarantees, but it feels right,” he said. You can hear the grit in his voice—he’s not here to mess around. Whether it works? Man, we’ll see, but he’s all in on betting on himself to get the Sooners back where they belong.
