Oklahoma Sooners fifth-year head coach Brent Venables hasn’t won a College Football Playoff Game and has a 1-3 record against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. And yet, the school’s rewarding him.
On Thursday, Venables and Oklahoma agreed to a new six-year contract, adding two years to his current deal and keeping him with Oklahoma through 2031. Citing On3’s salary database, George Stoia shared he’ll be making $10.5M annually and is now the 11th-highest-paid coach in college football.
Oklahoma releases statement on Brent Venables extension
“Coach Venables is elite at building culture not just in the locker room, but throughout the entire program,” Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny said in a statement. “Our players are drawn to him. They trust him, they believe in him, and he has a unique ability to work with young men and bring out the trust in them.”
Denny added that extending Venables is an investment in “stability,” which is important for programs in the ever-changing college sports landscape. Venables, however, hasn’t made it evident he’s the coach who can lead the team to the pinnacle of the sport in these changing times.