Play.
The Venables at OU would start a new era.
Kirk Herbstreit, Jesse Palmer, and Joey Galloway are all reacting to Oklahoma's plans to hire a new head coach. The song is called "2:32."
8:42 PM
According to sources, Oklahoma has finalized a deal with Venables to be their next football coach.
Venables has a long history at Oklahoma and has been a major part of the championship run at the school. He was on the Sooners' staff from 1999 to 2011.
Venables was the top assistant coach in college football in 2016 and won the Broyles Award. He turned down several head-coaching opportunities to stay at the school.
The highest-paid assistant coach in college football is Venables, whose defense at the University of Clemson has consistently ranked near the top in most statistical categories. He was given a contract extension prior to this season that increased his annual salary to $2.5 million. The head-coaching job at auburn was turned down a few months ago.
If Venables were hired at Oklahoma, Ole Miss's Jeff Lebby would be his top choice as offensive coach, according to sources. Lebby, who was a semifinalist for the award the past two seasons, suffered a career-ending injury after four years as a student assistant at Oklahoma.
The finalization of Oklahoma's deal with Venables was reported by The Athletic.
