According to multiple reports, Brent Venables and Oklahoma have agreed to a new six-year deal to keep him in Norman as the Sooners head coach for the foreseeable future.
Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the new contract will add two years to Venables’ preexisting deal and will also include a “significant raise” for the Sooners’ third-year man.
When he took the Oklahoma job in December of 2021, Venables originally agreed to a six-year, $43.5 million contract. Now, after going 16-10 over two seasons—and more notably, a 10-3 season in 2023—OU has seen enough to double down on Venables as the man to lead the program into the SEC and beyond.
Despite a tough 6-7 season in 2022, the momentum in Norman has been on an upward trajectory pretty much since the onset of the Venables era. A 34-30 win over No. 3 Texas highlighted the Sooners’ 2023 season, but signing three top-10 recruiting classes since his arrival is what has fans and administration excited about the future.
There has been increasing support for the OU program under Venables in recent months and the move to the SEC—while a major challenge—also has fans feeling that Oklahoma could get back to being title contenders sooner rather than later.
An Oklahoma Board of Regents meeting is being held in Ardmore on Friday morning, where it is expected that the financial details of Venables’ new contract will be hashed out and released shortly thereafter.
Oklahoma opens up its 2024 season on Friday, August 30, at 7:00 p.m. CT against Temple, with coverage provided by ESPN.
