Oklahoma Extends Brent Venables

​The Oklahoma Sooners and Head Coach Brent Venables have agreed to rework Venables' contract by extending him two more seasons and over the next six years, he will make $51.6m. The extension keeps BV in Norman through 2029. 

I have seen mixed reviews for this extension, but most negative criticisms come from outside the Sooner Fanbase. Much of this criticism stems from his first season at Oklahoma when the Sooners had their first losing record since 1998. The Sooners went 6-6 that first year (6-7 if you count bowl games that aren't NY6 Bowl Games anymore). 

It is an excellent time to remind those outside the fanbase that a big reason for the losing season is because of the mass exodus that took place when Lincoln Riley took the USC job. At the time, no other FBS team had seen a mass exodus like Oklahoma did in 2021. Venables was named the Head Coach that December and had to scramble to gather recruits to replace the superstars Riley took with him. 

Once Venables got the 2022 season out of the way and was able to spend an entire season recruiting, the Sooners bounced back and finished the season with a 10-2 record (10-3 if you're still counting bowl games) which was a huge step forward for the Venables-led Sooners. 

In the three seasons Venables has been able to scout and recruit players, he has brought in Top-10 recruiting classes, including 2022. The foundation for Oklahoma to succeed in the SEC is there. Too many people look at that 2022 season like it was the downfall of Oklahoma Football, but Bob Stoops said it best, "There's not one guy, one person in the history of this program that's bigger than the program." 

If you follow my blogs, you've heard me say a thousand times that the Oklahoma Football Team isn't going anywhere. It is designed to withstand the tests of time. There is the reason Oklahoma has sniffed the AP Top-10 every year since 2000. 

This extension brings an added level of stability to Oklahoma. Not only did BV get his extension, but others on the coaching staff did as well. Oklahoma is now one of the most stable football programs in the country, and that's got to be worth something to high school recruits and those in the transfer portal. 

Oklahoma may not be Alabama or Georgia, but as they proved last year against Texas, they can run with teams that finish in the Top-5 and can make some noise when needed. I understand I have some bias here, but Oklahoma is wildly underrated. That will work to their advantage this season. BV has laid the foundation for this team to be great. Oklahoma would not have signed this extension with BV if they didn't think he could get the job done. This move is the best move for the Sooners as we start our journey in the SEC.