Oklahoma football: Likely staff changes to be made

This Oklahoma football season has not gone as expected, with Oklahoma finishing 6-6, the worst mark since 1998. The Sooners failed to win close football games, going 0-4 in losses by a single score. Three of those losses came after the bye, with the margin of difference being a field goal. While it was year one under a brand new regime, Oklahoma struggled on the field of play in large part due to execution issues, and game management from a coaching standpoint. So the Sooners will likely look to bolster their staff. Starting with finding a new receivers coach, as it is unlikely LDamien Washington will have his interim tag lifted.

The other spot many people believe a change will be made is at the linebacker and defensive coordinator spots which is currently occupied by Ted Roof, who rumors have will be replaced. Though certainly, we have nothing confirmed there.

WR coach

The names to watch out for are TCU WR coach Malcolm Kelly and Los Angeles Rams RB coach Rashaad Samples.

The tie to Malcolm Kelly is obvious, the former Sooner standout who once famously rapped about defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big 12 Championship Game is simply a natural fit. Bringing in qualified candidates to coaching positions of former players is always a good idea; these staff members are often loyal to the program and stick around longer. Of course, it remains important that these coaches also fit the criteria; Malcolm Kelly does just that, as he is considered a rising star in the industry. Kelly has done a fantastic job at TCU and got a raise. I have heard that the Frogs would not exactly concede the services of Kelly if OU was interested (and they are). Oklahoma will need to open the pocketbook if Kelly is their man.

Samples have never been a full-time WR coach, but you can surround him with quality assistants to help him in that process. The big thing with Samples is his recruiting understanding. To put it simply, he’s the best at recruiting in the DFW area at multiple positions, not just at WR. His connections in the state of Texas are endless, and that is a trait you can’t learn, but you can learn to be a better teacher and be given support.

Either would be high profile move that would make the program much better than it is today.

Another name I have heard is former Oklahoma and current Boston College WR coach Darrell Wyatt. Wyatt was with Lebby at UCF and was on staff with Venables at Oklahoma from 2002-2005. I will not sugar coat it. That would be a disappointing hire if that were to take place.

LB coach/defensive coordinator?

We do not know if Ted Roof will be let go, retained, or even moved into an analyst role. This is purely speculative, but the rumors that a move is coming at this position are relatively strong. Roof was the head-scratching hire for Venables in the offseason.

Some things to monitor: Brent Venables does not officially coach a position group on the team. Brent has always coached linebackers; he could slide over and handle that. It is not uncommon that the head coach does so, as it would open up a spot for another on-field coach.  Lincoln Riley coaches quarterbacks; Nick Saban coaches safeties; Kirby Smart coaches linebackers, etc. This could end up in a situation where a guy like Brandon Hall takes over play-calling duties, and the Sooners try to get both Kely and Samples.

Some names to watch for, however, would be Brian Odom, Zach Arnett

We are all familiar with Brian Odom, and let’s just say he is one of the very best linebacker coaches in the nation, he did a heck of a job in Norman and was one of the tough ones to see pack up and head to Los Angeles. Add in that he is a former Sooner and it makes a ton of sense if you can pull it off to bring him back. The question is if the Sooners do target Odom, would his loyalty to Alex Grinch be too much to overcome?

Zach Arnett at Mississippi State is a young up-and-comer, and if hired would come in and be the play caller and the main guy defensively. This is a name that I have seen come up constantly the last couple of weeks, and at first, I kind of dismissed it because his style of defense doesn’t really resemble what Venables likes to do. BV is chaotic and brings different looks to confuse opposing QBs. Arnett is more about fundamentals and not beating yourself, while not exactly like Grinch would be far more similar to him instead. However, the name keeps coming up and perhaps a collaboration between the two men could create some sensational results for the program.