Brent Venables has been at Oklahoma for several years now, but he still has some strong ties to his previous post at Clemson. The former defensive coordinator of the Tigers is reportedly looking into bringing one of his former players to town to be part of his newest Sooners staff. Georgia Stoia III of Sooner Scoop reported on Friday morning DeShawn Williams plans to reunite with his former coach.
Williams played for Venables along the Clemson defensive line from 2011 to 2014 before turning pro.
OU is expected to hire former Clemson and NFL defensive tackle DeShawn Williams in an analyst role, per @SoonerScoop sources.
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) February 6, 2026
Williams played at Clemson from 2011-14 and recently retired from the NFL. He was a three-year starter for the Broncos. https://t.co/OSTo6uIH1M
Even though Williams went undrafted out of Clemson, he still managed to play in the league for a better part of the decade. He is best known for his time with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2015 to 2017, as well as his three-year run with the Denver Broncos from 2020 to 2022. The other big thing here is the position group in which Williams played. Defensive line was a huge driver for Venables...
With Williams expected to join Oklahoma as a defenisve analyst, it shows more growth opportunities.
DeShawn Williams slated to join Brent Venables' Oklahoma Sooners staff
When we look back on the dynastic run Clemson experienced under Dabo Swinney from roughly 2015 through 2020, it starts and ends with defensive line play. Clemson effectively had an SEC roster that was playing an ACC schedule. While offensive line growth and development was never the Tigers' forte during this era, Williams saw firsthand what Venables did as an amazing defensive mind.
In a way, this has honestly translated to tremendous success in that regard for OU under Venables already. One could easily argue that last year's playoff team made the 12-team field because of its defensive front-seven. With a wealth of NFL experience, Williams can grow in the coaching profession, as well as give some of the players on Oklahoma some intel on what it is like in the league.
Overall, Williams looks to be coming to a blue-blood program that is on the ascent. It took a minute, but OU is back to being OU, albeit in a new conference. Last year's team did extraordinary things on defense, but it did not have enough juice offensively to get out of the first round. For better or worse, Oklahoma has an identity under Venables moving forward. It is one that Williams want to be a part of.
This might only be a defensive analyst addition, but it is one in line with Oklahoma's plan to win big.