Other than Steve Sarkisian at Texas, no other coach in the SEC has had to deal with Brent Venables' Oklahoma defense more than Alabama's Kalen DeBoer, who at SEC Media Days had nothing but extremely high praise for the guy who has mostly had his number.
"Venables, he's a mastermind," DeBoer said during his time at the podium on Wednesday.
"Venables is a mastermind... you can see what he's trying to do but he still gets the job done, that's what so impressive."
— Evan Kamikow (@emkamikow) July 22, 2026
OU faced Alabama twice last year including the loss in the CFP. #BoomerSooner @NEWS9
HC Kalen DeBoer on going up against BV and the Sooners⤵️ pic.twitter.com/49gdzOYu6w
DeBoer went on to give Venables his flowers for his ability to call a game after taking control of the Sooners' defense as head coach last year. He credited Venables for having the perfect mix of elite talent and an aggressive scheme to create what was one of the best defenses in college football in 2025. And DeBoer expects the same from Venables' unit again in 2026 while finally getting to avoid the Sooners unless they meet again in the postseason.
Brent Venables has had Kalen DeBoer's number in 3 meetings between Oklahoma and Alabama
Venables is 2-1 against DeBoer after meeting three times the last two seasons. DeBoer's Crimson Tide averaged 19.3 points against Venables' defense in those three matchups.
Venables just flat-out out-coached Nick Saban's successor when the two first met in 2024. The Sooners were struggling with nothing going for them on offense and were just desperate to even make a bowl game. The Crimson Tide were eyeing a spot in the College Football Playoff as long as they avoided a late upset. But it was actually Bama's offense that couldn't move the ball, even with a Heisman Trophy contender at quarterback, as the Sooners upset the Crimson Tide 24-3 in Norman.
The Sooners simply kept the ball on the ground and put the game in the defense's hands to win 24-3 despite the offense tallying only 68 passing yards. The defense was even responsible for one of the Sooners' touchdowns thanks to Kip Lewis' 49-yard pick-6 in the third quarter that ended up being the last points of the game. The outcome propelled Oklahoma to bowl eligibility while ultimately knocking Bama out of the CFP.
Read more: Ranking where Brent Venables belongs among SEC head coaches
Then last season, Venables took his squad into Tuscaloosa and beat the Crimson Tide 23-21 to end the longest active home winning streak in college football. Once again, the Sooners intercepted another Heisman candidate for a score, this time for 87 yards by Eli Bowen to set the tone early in the first quarter. Opposite of the season before, those, the Sooners were surging, and that victory was part of a Red November that had Oklahoma return to the CFP at 10-2.
DeBoer finally got one against Venables when OU and Bama met for a rematch in the first round of the CFP at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Crimson Tide overcame a 17-0 deficit to advance with a 34-24 win.
After three meetings, though, you can be sure DeBoer is relieved he doesn't have to deal with the headache of scoring against Venables' defense a fourth time in three years in 2026.
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