First Time Head Coach Brent Venables Bringing Plenty of Experience to Oklahoma

ARLINGTON, TX — Brent Venables has but to educate an official sport as the pinnacle coach at Oklahoma.

However that doesn’t imply he hasn’t settled into his new job.

The Sooners are on fireplace on the recruiting path because of an explosive July, and the detail-oriented head man has already made stop the impression on the OU gamers at present on campus.

“This is likely to be his first rodeo,” Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel mentioned at Massive 12 Media Days final Thursday. “However man, this man’s been teaching for some time, what I imply? And he’s clever. The best way he motivates us.

“For those who had been to ask me and I didn’t know something previous to his previous, I feel he’d been a head coach for 10 years. Like I mentioned, the best way he motivates us, his power is infectious. His obsession and fervour for the sport of soccer… I imply, he’s an elite coach and one I’m proud to play for.”

Venables has studied underneath a distinguished record of head coaches, so maybe it comes as no shock that he’s already gained the boldness of the staff.

At all times recognized to jot down notes for when he’s operating his personal program someday, Venables has been in a position to take recommendation from Invoice Snyder, Bob Stoops and Dabo Swinney all through his profession as a defensive coordinator, and now he’s bringing all of that knowledge to Norman.

Defensive again Woodi Washington mentioned the power Venables shows each day conjures up the staff to proceed to place in work.

“He’s going to carry some kind of fireplace day by day,” Washington mentioned. “Whether or not it’s on or off the sphere, he’s going to carry some kind of aggressive nature to your physique, proper? He’s gonna need you to rise up and compete.

“He’s going to make all the pieces sound nice and the best way he leads is simply superb. The best way he is available in to the conferences and the best way he speaks to us is simply loopy.”

And whereas Washington mentioned Venables remains to be figuring some issues out about being a head coach, the best way Swinney let him coach at Clemson gave him the liberty to determine the way to lead a complete facet of the ball.

“The protection (at Clemson) was his so it was sort of like a head coach for the protection,” Washington mentioned. “Clearly head coach for a complete staff (now), however I don’t assume a lot is gonna change. He’s all the time been an ideal coach and that’s what he’s.”

Regardless of his defensive prowess, Venables is intent on being the pinnacle coach for the whole staff. Gabriel mentioned he nonetheless finds time to work with the offense, and is joyful to lend any recommendation or knowledge that he can to the offensive gamers.

“He’s been across the sport a lot that, after all, he’s a defensive minded coach however he’s scheming up offenses on a regular basis,” Gabriel mentioned. “He is aware of tendencies and simply with the ability to decide his mind on the defensive vast, I feel it’s actually modified my perspective, as properly.”

Regardless of how lengthy he’s been getting ready for this second, no person has all of the solutions.

In as we speak’s period of faculty soccer, head coaches must navigate the switch portal, Title, Picture and Likeness and questions surrounding convention realignment all whereas making an attempt to carve out time to really coach the staff.

Even Venables mentioned the scope of the portal was shocking upon accepting the Oklahoma job.

“We now have 40% of our roster that’s model new,” he mentioned. “And so once I mentioned sure to the job, I wasn’t pondering one iota in that second in regards to the chance that I’ve to alter nearly half of our roster. So I needed to be taught that I’ve to cope with this.”

The roster got here collectively, Venables put the staff via spring observe and now the Sooners are present process their remaining weeks of summer time conditioning earlier than beginning fall camp on Aug. 4.

Oklahoma will nonetheless have to supply on the sphere this season, however Venables is doing all the pieces he can to take advantage of out of his first offseason on the helm in Norman by laying the inspiration for fulfillment.

“He’s actually enthusiastic about what he talks about and the stuff he does,” vast receiver Marvin Mims mentioned. “I don’t even know the way to clarify it, it’s simply fully totally different from being up to now tradition to being on this tradition.

“Coach Venables calls for all the pieces and nothing however one of the best. For those who’re not getting one of the best, he’s undoubtedly going to make a approach the place you’re getting one of the best. Whether or not that’s disciplining you, sending you to Coach (Jerry) Schmidt or one thing like that, he’s not going to allow you to not have one of the best.”

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