Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables' new contract extension has been a divisive topic throughout Sooner Nation for about the last 24 hours. Did he deserve it or not? Should OU have waited until after the 2026 college football season?
OU just added two more years onto Venables' contract to make it through 2031 and also boost his salary to be about $10.5 million a year to become a top-10 highest-paid coach in college football. Venables also got an extension after the 2023 season, when the Sooners last tallied 10 wins, then proceeded to go 6-7 in 2024. The Sooners just went 10-3 and made the College Football Playoff in 2025.
I was simply against the extension, and still am for the most part when considering Venables has put up a losing record in half of the four seasons he's led the Sooners so far. It felt like a nearsighted response to Venables getting the Sooners to the CFP last season.
But then on Thursday evening, as debates ensued on social media and in group chats, OU athletic director Roger Denny, just seven months into his role, explained to local media why he made the controversial move. And I'll be honest, he made a heck of a point as he emphasized stability over and over again.
It was also the opposite of what I first believed, as a long-term investment filled with hope, not a quick response to brief success. Denny even made clear he'll never have a "quick trigger" and this negotiation was months in the making. "It’s a lazy approach," he said.
It simply comes down to Denny wholeheartedly believes in Venables leading OU's football program. And whether we agree with Denny's decision or not, don't we want the leader of Oklahoma's athletic department to be anticipating success, not failure, from the university's most heralded sport?
Roger Denny’s explanation changes the conversation around Brent Venables’ Oklahoma extension
“It’s managed risk,” Denny said. “But I would tell you, I can’t -- I have to be aware of what our worst-case scenario is. But ultimately, for us to have success, I have to plan for success, right? I have to put our program in a position to be ready at every opportunity to not be so cautious about what the downside is that we all miss the upside.
“And so I’m certainly aware of it and I’ve got to have an understanding of what it would cost if we got to that point. But at the end of the day, if I’m so focused on the downside, we’ll never realize our upside.”
What it will cost OU to fire Venables if things go wrong won't be known until after September's board meeting. It will definitely be larger than the $34.9 million it was with the previous contract. Either way, Denny isn't concerned with it. If he truly believes Venables is the right guy, then why already plan to fire him? It's like planning the divorce during the honeymoon.
But it also seems reckless and out of touch with reality. No one is trying to steal Venables from Oklahoma. He's arguably the best defensive mind in college football, but overall still earning respect as a head coach. No program that would even be a lateral move for Venables would likely want him. At least not right now.
But it again goes back to the blind belief Denny has in Venables. He clearly expects another successful season under Venables in 2026, not another downfall. That means in Denny's eyes, it will save OU money, not cost it a buyout, because the Sooners are rewarding Venables before his value increases anymore.
“I’ve been watching this thing for a long time," Denny said. "That market’s moving at 8-12% every single year. In the last couple of years, the number of coaches that are in that $10 million stratosphere, which Venables is in, in the last two years, I think it went from eight coaches to 18 coaches.
“That market’s not slowing down, and so managing that market is a little critical part of my job.”
Agree with it or not, and he hasn't fully convinced me yet, Denny made great points and accomplished his goals of giving the Sooners stability under both Venables and general manager Jim Nagy, who also inked an extension recently. If the Sooners meet expectations in 2026, hindsight will make Denny look like a prophet and Venables will be worth every penny, but if they don't it will cost OU.
Denny said all the right things and had a convincing counterargument to those in doubt, but non-believers won't believe until there are results. And not from Denny, but from Venables. And we hope Venables proves Denny right.
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