It looks like Brent Venables will get back to what he's best at.
The Oklahoma Sooners are expected to hire Arkansas State defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling, according to multiple reports on Friday, with OUInsider reporting that Dreiling will join OU's staff as a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
The biggest news to arise from all that wasn't Dreiling coming to OU, though. It's a great addition, but even with Dreiling being hired, Venables is expected to call defensive plays in 2025, according to OUInsider.
Other outlets later echoed OUInsider's report that Venables will be in control of the defense in 2025.
Venables made a name for himself as a defensive coordinator at OU and Clemson before becoming a head coach for the first time in 2022 with the Sooners. He led defenses at OU and Clemson that helped get national titles at both programs.
As a co-defensive coordinator with Mike Stoops, Venables got his first coordinator job with OU in 1999. In 2000, the Sooners won a national championship, largely thanks to one of the best defenses in the country.
Venables got sole control of OU's defense in 2004 and was promoted to associate head coach. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach, in 2006.
Venables left OU in 2012 to be Clemson's defensive coordinator. At Clemson, Venables again led some of the best defenses in the country as the Tigers appeared in the College Football Playoff six years in a row between 2015 and 2020.
Clemson won the national championship in 2016 and 2018, with Venables winning the Broyles Award in 2016.
Venables returned to OU in 2022 for his first head coaching job. Although no longer calling defensive plays, Venables still reconstructed the Sooners' defense with his own system and has always had a hand in it between two different coordinators.
This past season, even with a 6-7 record, the Sooners still had a solid defense that ranked 19th in FBS in total defense and 29th in scoring defense.
The Sooners also already had two co-defensive coordinators still on staff even after Zac Alley's departure in Todd Bates and Jay Valai. OU still needed to fill the vacancy Alley left as linebackers coach, though, which is why Dreiling was brought in.
Dreiling, 34, was most recently hired as Arkansas State's defensive coordinator on Jan. 5, but that lasted less than a month before he left for OU. During this past season, Dreiling was the defensive coordinator for Utah State before getting promoted to interim head coach. He was New Mexico State's defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023.
The hiring of Dreiling fills every coaching vacancy Venables had this offseason. However, OU is still search for its next Football General Manager after Curtis Lofton left the program.