Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables might not be looking for a new offensive coordinator yet, but OU fans definitely already are.
There's no doubt OU OC Ben Arbuckle is on the hot seat, and some have wondered if he even still keeps his job all of this season. Regardless, it feels inevitable that Venables will be looking for his fifth OC in six years this offseason. This could be the hire that saves or loses Venables his job in 2027, as the Sooners continually struggle on offense under his direction.
Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves, or just being proactive? Here is a list of five candidates who OU fans can already start eyeing to replace Arbuckle when the time comes.
Shane Beamer and 4 other OC candidates for Brent Venables to target when needed
They say never to go back to your exes, but this relationship worked out so well that Shane Beamer earned an opportunity to lead an SEC program at South Carolina. Beamer is still the Gamecocks' head coach (for now), but he has one of the hottest seats in college football and will likely need a new job before next season.
Beamer spent three seasons as OU's assistant head coach for the offense in 2018-20 under Lincoln Riley before leaving for South Carolina. The Sooners had a top-5 offense in college football every year with Beamer on staff. There's no doubt he can be a phenomenal OC, even if he hasn't been cut out to be a head coach.
There's been an idea floating around among Sooner Nation about Riley returning to Oklahoma as OC again if he's fired as USC's (the other USC) head coach. That's not going to happen. Beamer, though, can happen and has direct ties to that era of OU football.
Mitch Dahlen will be the hottest OC candidate in college football this season, as he has the Beavers with the No. 3 offense in the FBS. He also has two absolute stars in quarterback Braden Atkinson and wide receiver Jesse Legree. Both are leading their position in yards and could follow Dahlen wherever he goes.
The Sooners were just burned by an OC who was productive in the Pac-12 and brought a QB with him, but Dahlen also spent two seasons at Alabama as assistant OC and assistant quarterbacks coach under Kalen DeBoer. He coached future NFL quarterbacks Jake Haener, Michael Penix Jr., Jalen Milroe, and Ty Simpson.
If OU is serious about proving it's still a blue-blood program, then it will need to be willing to outbid plenty of others who not only want Dahlen but the talent that he can bring with him for the right price.
G.J. Kinne has been at the top of most-wanted OC lists for a few years now, even after getting a head-coaching gig at Texas State. The Bobcats consistently have one of the best offenses in the FBS.
This season, even while making a jump to the Pac-12, their offense ranks No. 1 in total offense and No. 9 in scoring offense. Kinne's offenses also run the dang ball, with the No. 3 rushing offense in the country right now.
Kinne hasn't been pried away from Texas State yet since getting there in 2023, but the Sooners could offer him a return to Oklahoma as a former Tulsa quarterback. It also might not require a pay cut despite the change in roles.
Kinne is making about $2 million per year right now, while Arbuckle's salary is $1.5 million. The Sooners can pony up another $500k for a home-run OC who's actually proven.
Even if Kinne were to get the Sooners' offense going, if it were still clear that Venables isn't head-coaching material, OU could already have a head coach-in-waiting.
Andy Kotelnicki is quietly one of the best offensive coaches in college football. He just returned to Kansas as Associate Head Coach to be under Lance Leipold again.
Kotelnicki was previously KU's OC in 2021-23, and in 2022, he led one of the most efficient offenses in the country and the best in Jayhawk history. He was 247Sports Offensive Coordinator of the Year in 2023. He then went to Penn State, where he led FBS in first downs (367) and explosive plays of over 10 yards (253) in 2024 with one of the best offenses in the Big Ten.
Some OU fans want that Riley DNA back at Oklahoma, right?
Garrett Riley, the brother of Lincoln, has had stops as an OC at Clemson, TCU, and SMU. He struggled at Clemson, but most offensive coordinators have recently, and the Tigers were still more productive than Arbuckle could dream of right now, with a top-25 passing offense. When Riley got full control of the offenses at SMU and TCU, they were some of the best in the country.
Riley joined Missouri's staff as a quarterbacks coach and has fixed Austin Simmons' turnover issue, but he'll be looking to jump at another OC opportunity as soon as this offseason.
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