Brent Venables introduced at Clemson as 'grand slam' hire
OKLAHOMA FOOTBALL -- Clemson coach Dabo Swinney introduced the former OU defensive coordinator as the Tigers' new defensive coordinator on Friday, saying how coaches like Kevin Sumlin and Mike Gundy had been complimenting him on the hire.
A thousand miles and five states away from the Oklahoma campus, reality sure had a bright tint to it Friday afternoon.
There was Brent Venables, the 13-year veteran of Bob Stoops’ Sooners coaching staff, smiling as he was introduced as Clemson’s new defensive coordinator. He was wearing an orange pullover, something that would have elicited contempt — or something worse — in his previous location.
Multimedia
Videoview all videos
Press Row: 5 in 5 - Venables Headed to Clemson
Jan 19Is Brent Venables leaving a good thing for OU football?
Photoview all photos
Sporting orange is as official as it gets that you’ve moved on from OU.
“There couldn’t be a better place to be right now than Clemson,” Venables said at the Friday afternoon news conference in South Carolina. “I’m incredibly excited to be here. What a great opportunity. I think the stars aligned to make it happen.
“I was compelled to be here when there was an opening.”
So compelled, in fact, that Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said he was initially contacted by Venables on Jan. 12 — the same day Kevin Steele was fired.
Swinney said he sent Venables a text message that night — and Venables responded immediately with a phone call. The two spoke until about 2 a.m., Clemson time, and Venables was on a plane to visit with his wife by Saturday afternoon.
The 41-year-old, on Stoops’ OU staff since it was formed in 1999, spent the day Sunday touring Clemson’s facilities and campus. He returned to Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
“When I left (Clemson on Sunday), I knew this is what I needed to do, what I wanted to do,” Venables said. “The last hurdle and obstacle was dealing with things back in Norman.”
A part of that was an effort on OU’s part — on Stoops’ part, in particular — to keep the valuable recruiter and linebackers coach. At Clemson, he is expected to receive about $800,000 a year, making him the third-highest-paid assistant coach in the country.
He has said this week that OU was willing to get close to that number. His most recent contract was for $440,000 a year.
And then there was the recent return of Mike Stoops, resulting in a share of the defensive coordinator title.
On Friday, Venables went beyond saying he was OK with the arrangement. He said he was “actively recruiting” Mike Stoops after he was fired as Arizona’s head coach.
“Hey, it’ll be just like the old days,” Venables said he told him, referring to their successful run from 1999-2003 sharing the coordinator responsibilities.
Sell Timeshare, Points, Vacation Clubs, Vacation Ownerships
www.secondaryownershipgroup.com
Prev
