Brent Venables' 2025 defensive staff at Oklahoma certainly won't lack experience.
Tulsa World reported on Friday that Venables is hiring former Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin to the Sooners' staff as a defensive analyst. Multiple other outlets confirmed Tulsa World's initial report.
Goodwin was initially frequently mentioned as a top candidate to fill the Sooners' defensive coordinator vacancy left by Zac Alley, who left OU to be the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at West Virginia.
However, the report of Goodwin joining the Sooners came later in the day after news broke that OU was expected to hire former Arkansas State and Utah State defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
With that Dreiling news also came that Venables himself will call defensive plays for the Sooners in 2025. Venables was a defensive coordinator for OU and Clemson for 23 seasons before becoming the Sooners' head coach in 2022.
Friday's additions of Dreiling and Goodwin, plus Venables, puts the Sooners at six coaches on the defensive staff with experience as a college defensive coordinator.
The Sooners already had two co-defensive coordinators on staff in Todd Bates and Jay Valai. Safeties coach Brandon Hall was also a defensive coordinator at Troy, Jacksonville State and Central Oklahoma.
Goodwin joins Trent Simpson as the only other defensive analyst currently listed for OU.
Of the six former or current defensive coordinators inside the Switzer Center now, Goodwin might have the greatest experience, other than Venables, considering he led a defense at a successful Power 4 program.
Goodwin was fired after this past season, but his defensive unit was still good enough to help get Clemson another ACC championship and back to the College Football Playoff. The Tigers had the No. 32 defense in FBS in 2023 and were ranked 22nd in 2022.
Goodwin actually replaced Venables as Clemson's DC when Venables left to become OU's head coach. Before that, Goodwin served as a graduate assistant, defensive analyst and senior defensive assistant on Venables' staff. Goodwin was also the assistant to the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals under Bruce Arians for three seasons.
With a new NCAA rule last year allowing unlimited coaches and permitting analysts to actually coach, Goodwin can be even more a hands-on asset for the Sooners, who had a top-25 defense this past season.
Venables should now be finished with staff hirings for the 2025 season, other than OU needing to replace Curtis Lofton as Football General Manager.