Crunching the numbers on Brent Venables’ contract to coach the Oklahoma Sooners

A look at the details of what Brent Venables’ contract with the Oklahoma Sooners entails.

After roughly a week or so, Oklahoma has released the details on the contract that brought Brent Venables back to Oklahoma to be the head coach of their football team

There was a lot of speculation but thanks to reports from The Athletic’s Jason Kersey and The Oklahoman’s Ryan Aber we know the specifics.

Venables signed to a six-year deal, running through Jan. 31, 2028, that will begin at $7 million annually and increase by $100K every February.

Venables is bringing in the dough for a first-time head coach. He made waves as the highest-paid coordinator in the sport in part thanks to Clemson’s ability to commit assets to keep him as the architect of their defense that has been a machine for the better part of the last 10 years. Clemson paid $2.5 million to Venables for his work in the 2021 season.

His nearly $4 million raise is not something to bat an eye at, but when put in perspective, Venables is not anywhere near the top five in terms of highest-paid head coaches. Sooners Wire wrote this article on the highest-paid head coaches back in October.

That list will undoubtedly need to be updated as names like Orgeron, Dan Mullen, and Gary Patterson are no longer head coaches. Venables will join the ranks of those head coaches and his $6.4 million per year would have him just above Patterson but behind Ohio State’s Ryan Day at 6.6 million if his head coaching salary was ranked on this list.

If Venables has any type of early success akin to what Lincoln Riley had in his first few years, based on past precedent, he will see an extension a few years into his current deal very similar to how Oklahoma handled Riley’s go as Oklahoma head coach.

Riley’s move to USC is heavily rumored to be for a salary around $10 million but with that unconfirmed, it’s probably best to reasonably guess it’s going to be at least more than the $7.7 million he was making this year in Norman. Private schools, like USC, aren’t required to disclose contracts to the public.

If Oklahoma can win a national championship under Venables, He’ll receive a $400K bonus.

His contract still has to be approved by the OU Board of Regents, who most recently met just before the Venables hire was completed.

While Venables may not make as much money as the previous head coach of Oklahoma, there is a heavy suggestion that Venables’ negotiated for an increased budget for the hiring of his position coaches and other staff along with other assurances. Some of those assurances seem likely to include a commitment to facilities upgrades, recruiting budget, and off-the-field support staff.

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