Oklahoma considered creating stability ‘very important’

Oklahoma made a bit of a splash on Friday with the approval of the Board of Regents a extending the contract by six years for head football coach Brent Venables. Venables is set to do north of $8 million annually on the new deal, one that athletic director Joe Castiglione said is part of getting “SEC ready.”

The Sooners are set to join the SEC on July 1, along with their rival and fellow Big 12 Texas. Speaking to the media after the Board of Regents meeting, Castiglione said the Sooners prioritized building and sustaining stability as they enter the SEC.

“Well, we’ve been working on strategies around the transition,” Castiglione said. “You’ve heard the term SEC ready. I know there are things we will continue to work on as we move through SEC membership, but it was important to establish certain things and create stability going forward. And speaking of being about nine days away, we’re going to start counting the hours here pretty soon, but very, very excited to become the new member of the SEC on July 1st.”

Venables’ new deal also comes on the heels of a handful of other contract extensions for various assistant coaches on the Oklahoma football staff. This strategy was another part of the stability that Castiglione was looking for.

Castiglione explained a little more about the thinking behind the offseason moves in Norman.

“Well, we’re proactive about contracts as best we can,” Castiglione said. “And we watch the market, we certainly recognize the performance of our coaches, the role they play in leadership, the importance of not just talking about stability and forward thinking and what our program wants to do in pursuit of future success, but proving it. And I think our move into the contract for coach Venables is a perfect example of that, what he’s been doing since he’s been on campus for two years and as we move into a new league and get the foundations in place for we. to continue to be successful and chase championships, as all the best teams that we compete with try to do.”

More on Venables’ new offering

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.

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.