Oklahoma and Brent Venables agree to 6-year deal with ‘significant raise’

Oklahoma and head football coach Brent Venables have agreed to a new six-year contract that gives him a “significant raise,” Pete Thamel reported for ESPN.

The deal still requires approval from the OU board of regents, according to Thamel.

Venables had four years remaining on the $43.5 million fully guaranteed contract he signed with the program in 2022.

Venables joined the Sooners in 2022 after previously working with the program’s defense from 1999 to 2011.

He coached Oklahoma to a 10-3 record during his final season in the Big 12 and will now lead the team through its debut SEC campaign this fall.

That won’t be the only change for the Sooners heading into 2024, with Jackson Arnold set to take over as the starting quarterback in an offense led by new quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Seth Littrell.

The OU board voted to approve contracts for both Littrell and new defensive coordinator Zac Alley through 2027 in March, per John E. Hoover of the AllSooners , locking in the coaching staff the board hopes will lead Oklahoma to its first bowl win at the 2021 Alamo Bowl. .

The board also extended defensive line coach Todd Bates and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, who helped develop a dozen offensive linemen into NFL prospects during his 11 seasons at Oklahoma.

According to Thamel, OU awarded Venables the raise in part because of “an increase in the overall commitment of the program” during his tenure.

Oklahoma’s recruiting classes for both 2024 and 2025 both rank among the top 10 in college football, according to 247Sports.

The 2024 class is led by five-star defensive lineman David Stone, who 247Sports ranks as one of the top 20 prospects in the country.

Venables has already led the Sooners to improve from a 6-7 record in his first season as head coach to a 10-3 record, including a 7-0 start to the season in 2023.

With historic recruiting classes poised to address key defensive weaknesses and the Sooners hoping Arnold can figure it out as a starter, Oklahoma has every season to hope for another surge in wins this fall. That trajectory was enough to encourage the program to make sure Venables stays in Norman.