Oklahoma football: Brent Venables fills first staff position, offensive coordinator
By Chip Rouse
Multiple sources are reporting on Wednesday that the first staff position under new Oklahoma football coach Brent Venables has been filled.
ESPN’s Chris Lowe and others are reporting the Jeff Lebby, offensive coordinator at Ole Miss, has agreed to a deal to take over the same job at Oklahoma.
Lebby, who is actually an OU graduate (2007) has been the Ole Miss offensive coordinator the past two seasons under head coach Lane Kiffin. Lebby called the plays for Ole Miss along with Kiffin. The Rebels have ranked in the top five in the nation in total offense the past two seasons.
Ever since it was learned that Venables was going to be the next head coach at Oklahoma, it had been widely projected the new Sooner head coach would target Lebby to join him in Norman on the OU coaching staff.
Under Lebby’s direction, Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral developed into one of the top quarterbacks in the top division of college football. In 2021 alone, Corral was the only FBS quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards and record more than 500 rushing yards. He finished the regular season with 20 touchdown passes and 11 more TDs on the ground with only four interceptions.
Oh, and by the way, Ole Miss finished with a 10-2 regular-season ranking in the top college football conference (SEC) and is ranked No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings, eight spots better than Oklahoma.
Before going to Ole Miss, Lebby was offensive coordinator at Central Florida (UCF), and he spent nine seasons at Baylor. the last two of which were as passing coordinator.
Oklahoma’s new offensive coordinator was a semifinalist the last two seasons for the Broyles Award, which recognizes the top assistant coach in college football.
Lebby’s style of football is strikingly similar to the things we heard Venables emphasize when he accepted the Oklahoma coaching job on Sunday. According to an article by Ben Garrett, who covered Ole Miss for 247Sports in 2020, Lebby’s first season there as offensive coordinator, Lebby told David Kellum, who does play-by-play for Ole Miss:
"“You’re going to hear us (Ole Miss) talk about being fast, fearless and physical on offense.”"
That certainly worked for Ole Miss in the rough and tough SEC. Sounds like a preview of what the Sooners’ offense might look like next season and as it begins its transition out of the Big 12 to the SEC.
Lebby was a graduate assistant on Bob Stoops coaching staff in the mid-2000s at the same time Venables was on the Sooner coaching staff.
The new OU offensive coordinator becomes the first hire for Brent Venables, who was named the new Oklahoma head coach on Sunday.