Head Coach Brent Venables agrees to 2 year extension taking him thru 2031

Mason Young
@Mason_Young_0

Local media just spent more than an hour talking with #Sooners AD Roger Denny at the Sam Viersen Center. (Shout out to him for the time). Here’s a quick thread of key points from the chat:

-OU athletics has no interest in becoming an LLC, wants to stay very connected to the university

-Contract extension for BV is betting Venables’ character and culture will continue to be an edge in recruiting

-Palace Project ain’t goin anywhere but OU is listening to fan feedback and adjusting. Timeline still pretty much the same though

-Infrastructure work continues on new basketball arena; OU wants the teams to be really good so in 2 years they have something to sell to a venue owner. Soon to have an agreement done with a facility operator.

-Denny shouted out men’s hoops GM Lucas McKay for saving some roster spots and money to capitalize on the 5-for-5 lawsuits

-OU is waiting on the right partner and value for a jersey patch sponsorship

Well stated:


Chad P. Smith
@ChadPSmith_

A lot of chatter on Venables Extension:

Here’s how I see it: Whether this is good or bad is unfalsifiable. I believe, truly, Oklahoma will be SEC and National title contenders, and tying up Venables at $10M a year is actually great value compared to other top coaches. But the inverse is also true. If 2026 is a bust, this is a fairly large mistake from a buyout perspective.

Here's why I think Denny made the right bet anyway. Look at the four years in context, not just the cumulative record. 2022 was a roster rebuild, he was just trying to fill a roster after taking over mid-cycle. 2024 had (approx.) 9 starters out for the season (I made this argument at the time to a lot of Sooner fans' annoyance, but it's just true.) Strip those two years out and you're left with 2023, a healthy roster, 10 wins, and 2025, 10 wins, and a home playoff game (even with an injured Mateer). Those are the two seasons where Venables actually had the players available to him, and both were double digit win years, the later with a defense that finished top 10 nationally in multiple categories.

To be fair, that's a thin sample to project a title window onto. But it's the data we've got, and it points the same direction both times.

To me, the question is whether 2026 looks more like 2023/2025 or more like 2022/2024. That comes down to health and continuity, and right now I don't see the same structural problems that wrecked those years. That's the actual bet being made here, in my opinion

Separate from all that, there's the roster and staff stability piece. In the current portal and NIL environment, recruits, transfers, and assistants all weigh (to different extents) whether a coaching staff is secure before they commit. That's a good asset on its own.

Yes he’s great value. It can’t be overstated the dumpster fire LR left the program in. And he missed out on recruit cycle coming in so late. And has had to find coaches to hire as he built program. Some failed but he seems to have gotten better at it. And health has to be factored in.

I think we go far this year. And I really am glad they did this. He was never going anywhere so in that regard it wasn’t needed. But it shows trust and faith and rewarding his loyalty. That helps with assistants and recruits/portals.