Oklahoma BOR approves Brent Venables’ six-year, $46.05M extension through 2029

Terms for extending the contract for Oklahoma trainer Brent Venables they came, and the Sooners’ boss is getting a modest raise over the six-year term included in his current contract. In total, the new extension — approved by the Board of Regents — covers six years and is worth a little more than $46 million. according to SoonerScoop.

Venables is set to earn $7.2 million in base salary this season before a $400,000 increase in annual salary earnings for the 2025 season. Venables’ base compensation will increase by $100,000 in three of the next four years, paying him $7.925 million annually in 2029, the final year of the extension.

Venables’ compensation also includes an annual payment of $600,000, according to the report Tom Green. That means the average annual base compensation over the course of the deal will be $8.25 million. This brings the total base compensation to $49.65 million over the life of the deal.

Venables’ original contract with Oklahoma called for him to be paid whatever was left on his contract because the Sooners would have fired him without cause. It is not known if the Sooners and Venables renegotiated the terms of the buyout as part of this contract extension.

The raise also comes for Venables as Oklahoma is set to join the SEC in the near future. The Sooners apparently plan to increase commitment in football and track and field to match league competition. Venables had the 10th highest annual salary of coaches expected to lead SEC programs in 2024; by the end of his new contract, he would be the 9th highest paid coach in the league, assuming other salaries remain static.

After a few seasons back at OU as head coach, Venables posted a 16-10 record overall. The improvement from year one to year two was clear, however, as the Sooners went from 6-7 in his debut season to 10-3. The development on both sides of the ball was evident for Oklahoma in 2023. They went from 32.8 points per game. (33) to 41.7 ppg. (4th) in the offense, passing and allowing 30 ppg. (90) to 23.5 (49) in defense.

Venables has a very successful CV throughout his coaching career, particularly at his last two stops. After starting at Kansas Statespent the last quarter of a century in both Oklahoma and Clemson.

After starting 3-0 in 2022, Oklahoma finished 3-7 in the Big 12 and in the Cheez-It Bowl. Although they lost their final four by just three points each, they also suffered a 31-point loss TCU and a 49-0 burst and a shutout at Texas in the Red River Rivalry.

Again though, 2023 was much better under Venables. The Sooners are off to a 7-0 start, including a win over the Longhorns this time. That allowed them to rank sixth in the nation in the AP poll. A pair of losses then took them out of the national race there, but they still finished the regular season 10-2 before a season-ending loss to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl.

Venables also recruited nationally for the program. All three of his classes to which he is credited so far have been in the Top-10 On3 football team recruiting rankingsincluding 6th in 2023. 2025 is on track to do the same as it is currently 10th.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.