Oklahoma football has a policy regarding commitments. If a player is committed to Oklahoma, they agree to no longer go on visits.
Brent Venables surprised many people when he came out and talked about his commitment policies, to which a mixed bag of reactions came from the media. Some believed it was hypocrisy considering Venables was willing to take visits from prospects committed to other schools. Others strongly agreed with such a policy but paused pondering the risk, and there is one.
Well over 90% of players committed in August remain committed and sign in December. In a world where we talk about de-commitments, statistically speaking, there aren’t that many. Coach Venables brings much of his policy and ideology from Dabo Swinney and his time at Clemson.
How does the policy work
So the basic concept of the policy is this: If a player commits to the class, Oklahoma will honor that commitment and never process a player (a term given to taking a “better” player at a position and forcing one to de-commit). The principle is that the school and the player will remain loyal to one another throughout the process and that if you are not ready to stop doing visits, then wait until you are done to de-commit as the staff would like someone all in and doesn’t want players to short themselves on experiences if they are not ready. This creates a stronger commitment that is even less likely to bring about a de-commitment; it also encourages players to take their visits to know for sure there is a fit.
How does Venable’s policy differ from Dabo’s?
Dabo Swinney adds to this policy by not taking players from the transfer portal; they are committed to the guys they sign out of high school, though players have left the Clemson program. Swinney also offers the fewest number of players in the country among the power five schools. These are places where Venables differs, which I believe is a good thing. While Venables likely will not take anywhere near the number of players from the transfer portal he did during the 2022 cycle, it does show he is willing to embrace the portal, which is necessary for the way the sport is today.
Venables does his variation of the “valuable offer” concept of Clemson, he certainly offers less than the previous staff, but at the same time, he does not go to the extreme that Dabo does. Clemson has been successful doing what they do, but it’s not something that can be replicated to exactness anywhere in the country; Venables is wise to “give a little” on this prospect.
Venable’s interpretation is bringing results.
Ashton Cozart decided to test Venables policy early by visiting Oregon, he then had to de-commit to visit and subsequently committed to the Ducks. Here lies the risk of such a policy. Would Cozart still be a Sooner if he was not required to de-commit? Here in lies the risk of the procedure, but it also appears to have paid dividends when it comes to other big-time prospects the Sooners have brought into the fold and another player who is silently committed right now.
By letting these players go about their process, they could compare their situation at Oklahoma to what it would be like elsewhere. There are not a lot of places that offer the experience that the Sooners do. After all, the Sooners boast top-of-the-line facilities, a football tradition second to none, and a consistency on the football field that has been virtually unparalleled through the decades.
Coach Venables knows what will work for his program, and his staff and prospects have bought in. I do not think any coach could pull this off, and it says a lot about Brent that he sticks to his convictions when it would be easy to be like everyone else. He hasn’t even coached a football game yet, but the Sooners currently have the highest recruiting score they have ever received since that score has been tracked. That stands to only increase over the course season.