Brent Venables has assembled one of the greatest defensive brain trusts in college football at Oklahoma, and don't be surprised if it soon gains a new member or two with a familiar name.
Mark Stoops this week was fired as Kentucky's head coach, which left him and his brother, inside linebackers coach Mike Stoops, looking for new jobs for the first time in years. Both have ties to Oklahoma, with Mike even coaching alongside Venables, so it seems likely their next move could be to Norman. However, there have been no reports of a next move from either yet.
Mark Stoops and Mike Stoops looking for next jobs after Kentucky firing
Mark Stoops won more football games than any coach ever had at Kentucky, but the Wildcats went in a new direction after his 13th year and second straight losing season. Mark Stoops himself has never coached for the Sooners before as a defensive-minded coach, but both of his brothers, including Bob Stoops, have for an extensive time, and both alongside Venables at some point.
Mike Stoops and Venables were co-defensive coordinators together when the Sooners won their last national championship in 2000 under Bob Stoops, who is still in Norman and around the program. Mike Stoops left in 2003 to be Arizona's head coach, then returned in 2012 in the same role as before as OU's associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach until 2018. Mike had been Kentucky's inside linebackers coach the last four seasons.
Venables has not been shy about how important a great staff is to his success. With his job on the line going into this season, he not only took over defensive play-calling duties, but also added to what was already a loaded defensive staff. The moves obviously paid off as the Sooners are College Football Playoff contenders at 10-2 thanks to a defense that's one of the best in the country.
The Stoops brothers fit the mold of the type of coaches Venables would want with experience and proven success, including in the SEC. Programs can now have as many staff members as they want that can actually coach players, so there's already room for the duo. However, with the success the Sooners are having, there'd be no surprise if other programs start poaching from Venables' staff, leaving holes to fill.
Whether it's as a co-defensive coordinator, position coach or just an analyst role, Mark and Mike Stoops both have the experience and knowledge that could be assets to the Sooners in any capacity, and while other programs might request their expertise, Venables already has the ties to get them to Norman and part of his brain trust.