Oklahoma announces decision on head coach Brent Venables

Oklahoma has been one of college football’s most disappointing teams this season, and the criticism of head coach Brent Venables has grown louder. But the school’s leadership is making it clear that he isn’t going anywhere.

The chair of Oklahoma’s Board of Regents said on Wednesday that Venables is not on the hot seat. In fact, he said that there is no hot seat at all, pointing to the contract extension that the school gave Venables before the season.

Oklahoma’s Disappointing Season

The Sooners are 5-4 overall and 3-3 in SEC play, and they have alternated wins and losses every week this season. Oklahoma has beaten Texas, which was ranked No. 1 at the time, but it has also lost to Michigan, Georgia, Kentucky, and South Carolina.

The Sooners have been one of the most disappointing teams in the country, and quarterback John Mateer has been a major storyline, throwing seven interceptions while the offense has failed to move the ball or score consistently. Oklahoma also fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and replaced him with Jason Witten on an interim basis.

Oklahoma did beat Florida 23-7 on the road on Saturday, but it’s safe to say the season has not gone the way fans expected after the team had preseason College Football Playoff aspirations. The Sooners close the regular season with No. 19 Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and a road trip to No. 22 Missouri.

Venables, in his fifth season at Oklahoma, is 37-24 with the Sooners throughout his coaching career. He signed a six-year, $63 million extension before the season that runs through 2032, and the school would owe him more than $50 million if it fired him without cause after this season.

‘There is no hot seat’

On Wednesday, Board of Regents chair Rick Nagel addressed the speculation about Venables’ future during a board meeting.

“The board doesn’t typically comment much on what’s going on in the athletic department. That’s maybe a smart thing. But I want to say this … our head coach, Brent Venables, is not on the hot seat,” Nagel said, via The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto. “There is no hot seat. We just extended his contract.”

That massive buyout makes Nagel’s comments unsurprising. Still, it’s a clear sign that Oklahoma plans to give Venables at least one more season to turn things around despite the growing discontent from the Sooner fans.

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