Brent Venables’ Clemson return had Tigers fans regretting what they lost

Clemson fans got a reminder of what they once had in Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables. 

Venables, who was the Tigers’ defensive coordinator in 2012-21, was back in Clemson on Saturday during the Sooners’ bye week for his son’s Senior Day. And to throw salt in the wounds of Clemson fans, and maybe even make some OU fans uneasy, Venables was not only on the sideline, but decked out head to toe in Clemson gear as a father for a day instead of a coach. 

Brent Venables visits Clemson during Sooners' bye week

With the Tigers at 4-5 this season after beating Florida State on Saturday, some Clemson fans have put together a correlation between Venables leaving to be the Sooners’ head coach after the 2021 season to Clemson’s fall as a national power. Clemson won two national championships with Venables controlling the defense. 

Meanwhile, after starting the season on the hot seat, it’s clear Venables has now turned the Sooners into a defensive powerhouse at 7-2.

Venables was just back in Clemson for a day, but with the Tigers’ defense struggling recently and head coach Dabo Swinney possibly even leaving soon, Clemson fans were begging Venables to stay for good. 

If Clemson fans get too desperate to have a Venables back on staff, they could look at Venables’ son, Tyler.

Tyler plays safety for Clemson and is a sixth-year senior after joining the program in 2020. He played two seasons under his dad before Venables left for Oklahoma and Tyler still stayed put. Tyler was injured most of 2023 and served as a student coach during that time, so it looks like he could actually follow in his dad’s footsteps. And he seems to be a mirror image of his father.