It's the year 2030, and Oklahoma fans will not believe who's coaching the top college football programs in the Sooner State, at least in this hypothetical universe.
The Athletic's Ralph D. Russo on Friday released a fun article where he predicted who would be the head coach of all 68 Power Four conference program, plus Notre Dame, come 2030. He emphasized it was more for fun than informing, but after going down the rabbit hole and seeing some unbelievable situations, like in Oklahoma, it's hard not to wonder how many predictions might actually not just come true, but considering nothing is as unexpected as the reality of college football, what actually happens might be even crazier.
Ralph D. Russo predicts every Power 4 head coach job in 2030, including for the Sooners
In Russo's predictions, Venables is no longer OU's head coach. That shouldn't be surprising, though, even after Venables just led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff. Venables needed that 10-3 season to save his job and get off the hot seat, but Venables' seat will heat up again and he's likely one more bad season away from losing his job.
And that's not just an OU or Venables problem. Russo pointed out that the average tenure for Power Four head coaches is 4.75 seasons. That means, with Venables entering Year 5 in 2026, he'll already overstay his welcome based on the average if he survives another year, let alone four more seasons.
With Venables out, Russo predicts the Missouri Tigers to peak as the Sooners struggle, which would lead OU to swipe Eliah Drinkwitz away from Mizzou. That would further heat up that one-sided rivalry for Missouri fans.
Drinkwitz is entering his seventh season with the Tigers and has went 46-29 there while enduring the same SEC gauntlet he'd have to at Oklahoma, but his best season could be yet to come and capture the Sooners' attention. It's also worth noting that Drinkwitz was born in Norman before being raised in Arkansas.
"Timing is everything in life," Russo wrote. "If there had been as much coaching movement in 2024 (after Drinkwitz knocked out a second straight double-digit-victory season at Mizzou), maybe he would already be in a new gig. We think he’s got another big season in him, and it will align with the Sooners heading back to the market."
Considering Drinkwitz' connection with Norman and his success in the SEC, that change doesn't really seem far fetched, but Venables' next move after leaving OU is one of the most mind-boggling that Russo predicted.
After 21 years of Mike Gundy in charge, Oklahoma State just hired Eric Morris from North Texas to replace Gundy, who was fired only four weeks into the 2025 season. There's a lot of hope for Morris around Stillwater, and Russo agrees, but that still doesn't end well for OSU fans. Russo predicts Morris to use his success with the Cowboys to lead to a new gig as the head coach at Texas A&M to replace Mike Elko.
It seems the Cowboys' success will coincide with the Sooners struggling under Venables, so with Venables available just down the highway, Russo predicts Venables to cross Bedlam lines and be the first guy to ever be the head coach on both sides of the in-state rivalry. It would be an easy move for Venables, he'd already have the same recruiting ties needed and he doesn't have a winning record in Bedlam, making him a perfect fit at OSU.
Venables also isn't the only current OU coach that Russo predicts to end up somewhere else by 2030. OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was already a head coach candidate this past year at only 30 years old, so sure to take the leap by 2030, Russo has Arbuckle leading West Virginia.
In the end, Russo is bound to get some of his predictions correct no matter how unpredictable college football is, so now fans wait and see what the Sooners' and Venables' future holds.