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On a day designed to address the Sooners’ 2022 signing class, Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables broached that subject and many more in a make-up Zoom availability with the local media that spanned just north of an hour and a half.
One of the topics was two of the additions to his inaugural staff, defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis and cornerbacks and nickelbacks coach Jay Valai.
Chavis was announced as an addition to the staff on Dec. 17 after spending five years at Clemson with Venables where he served in a defensive player development role.
OU fans had to wait until after the national championship game went final to pry Valai away from Alabama. Valai’s hiring was officially announced on Jan. 11.
“Jay and Miguel both, boy, they’re both so unique. Tons of energy. Lots of life. They’re wise beyond their years. They bring so much to the table when it comes from relationships to football acumen. Just really advanced when it comes to the ability to teach and also to be able to articulate football 101, to be able to more than hold their own in the staff room. And then, their ability to connect with players is really, really special,” Venables said about the pair.
He mentioned how Chavis and Valai were two of his first targets and that each jumped at the opportunity to join Oklahoma’s staff.
“We hit the home run with those guys. They’re just scratching the surface on their young careers, but, man, I didn’t flinch. Like, those were my first rounders and we were able to get them right away. Both of them, the very first conversation when I reached out to them, both having great opportunities where they were at, neither one of them flinched. They were like, ‘Yeah, when do you need me to be there?’ So, for me, that was really cool. Even in the short amount of time that they’ve been here, it’s just been validated over and over,” Venables said.
As Oklahoma and college football fans think about the hiring of Chavis, it’s important to look back into Venables’ past alongside former Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder.
When asked how long he’s thought about putting a staff together, Venables touched on something he took away from his time with the Wildcats.
“One of the best things that Bill Snyder did was he coached coaches, so, man, I was always taking notes of that. I’ve had opportunity even as a coordinator to coach coaches, too. You coach your players, but you also coach your staff that you’re empowered to lead. So, I’ve been leading and coaching coaches and, in my mind, developing coaches in my role for a very, very long time,” Venables said.
This dynamic of developing coaches helps explain why Venables was comfortable hiring someone in Chavis who is yet to officially serve in an on-field coaching capacity.
“We hit it off immediately. He’s a former player and I sat in the staff room with him every day. He coached a camp with us. He had some opportunities to coach because of COVID and some things like that as well over the last few years. Just you know when you know. You know it when you see it and you know it when you don’t,” Venables said of Chavis.
Venables met Valai back when Valai was still a player on the recruiting trail. To hear Venables describe it, there was something about Valai’s character traits that immediately caught Venables’ attention.
“Man, I was just instantly, magnetically attracted to this guy as far as who he was as a person, his energy, his values, his football acumen, his simplicity, his humility. All those things, I was very attracted to and I knew he was a great recruiter and things of that nature, too, but so much more,” Venables said of Valai.
Again, Venables had both Chavis and Valai in mind as potential hires if and when the opportunity presented itself.
“Here in the last five, six, seven years, I knew that those were two guys that, man, those were definitely guys I was going to try to hire that would make me better. You’ve got to have, you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. I was fortunate,” Venables said.
It’s also not lost on Venables the commitment required from the administrative leadership at Oklahoma to make the coaching staff hires possible.
“Finding the right people has been a critical, critical thing and then also having the support from Joe and Zac and Larry to be able to hire the right people, too. We’ve had to navigate that. I didn’t take any of that for granted either. They’re all at great places and come with a price tag. Create a vision and opportunity for them to make it all fit together organically, so that’s been a lot of fun for me, but one again I’ve been preparing for for a long time,” Venables said.
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