Tag: Joe Castiglione

Oklahoma launches OU Exchange, an NIL collaboration in conjunction with INFLCR

Oklahoma Sooners, in conjunction with INFLCR, create OU Exchange, allowing student-athletes to engage in NIL opportunities.

As the Oklahoma Sooners and the rest of collegiate athletics venture into the new world of name, image and likeness, the universities have had to innovate, helping students take advantage of these new options to earn revenue through NIL.

Earlier this year, the OU athletics department launched The Foundry, which would help student-athletes understand and grow their personal branding. Earlier this month, in conjunction with INFLCR, the Oklahoma Sooners announced the formation of OU Exchange, “the latest innovation to help student-athletes and businesses work closely together in developing name, image and likeness (NIL) agreements” per a release from the University of Oklahoma.

Per the release, “OU Exchange, a free service to student-athletes and the commercial enterprises that use it, will help the athletics department customize and manage NIL reporting, while providing approved businesses, collectives and individuals with a customized portal for communicating with student-athletes and fulfilling NIL transactions.”

About the new initiative, athletic director Joe Castiglione said, “This new platform creates a process that is easy, effective, and compliant. It’s much like a job fair that never ends. Businesses and our student-athletes can hold two-way conversations that result in new efficiencies.”

Interested individuals or businesses can apply for approval to OU Exchange and once there can communicate directly with student-athletes about opportunities. INFLCR has created a new software service called INFLCR+ Local Exchange. This NIL registry is a customized program that is tailored for each universities’ needs while providing direct payment to the student-athlete. All transactions will create a direct payment to the athlete, with no transaction fee, and send a disclosure to the university. 

It’s a new day in college athletics and OU Exchange is paving the way for Oklahoma athletes to take part in capitalizing off of their name, image, and likeness.  

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Oklahoma’s ‘alignment’ has allowed the Sooners to salvage 2022 recruiting class

What looked like to be a down year for Oklahoma Sooners in recruiting after the coaching change has reemerged as one of the best recruiting classes in 2022.

Several things stuck out from Brent Venables’ opening remarks when he was officially introduced as the 23rd head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. But one of them has already played out in a big way over the last couple of weeks, even before Venables was brought on board. And that’s the value of alignment.

When the news that Lincoln Riley was leaving hit the Oklahoma Sooners, the leadership didn’t sulk or pout, Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione immediately got to work. Though their first call was to Bob Stoops to help as interim head coach during the transition, they didn’t stop there. They met with the current players, and they made sure they had assistants on staff to further the Oklahoma Sooners’ efforts on the recruiting trail.

Immediately after taking the helm, Bob Stoops was out on the road with assistants DeMarco Murray, Joe Jon Finley, and Cale Gundy to connect with Oklahoma commitments to see where they stood. They were gone, and there was nothing the Sooners’ contingent was going to be able to do about it. However, their in-home visits made a difference for a lot of kids whether they planned to stay committed to Oklahoma or not.

It was the mere reminder that there is only one Oklahoma and that the program is bigger than one man. The show of strength and the foundation of excellence helped carry the Sooners during the interim before Brent Venables, and his staff started coming together. And it was an alignment of vision that proclaimed the players are the program that allowed the Sooners to keep a steady focus.

It was that alignment. From the president of the university to the assistants making visits, the Sooners had a plan, and they’ve executed that plan as the early signing day approaches.

The alignment of the leadership is what made Oklahoma such an attractive place for not just Brent Venables but a host of coaches looking to land a job at one of the premier schools in college football.

It’s that alignment that has allowed for there to be a smooth transition, even as Venables and Lebby redirect recruiting efforts from the west coast to Oklahoma, Texas, and the southeast, namely Florida.

The leadership and the vision from the top down helped the program maintain focus even during a short season of turmoil. It’s the alignment that helped recover a 2022 recruiting class that was as low as 27th a week ago on 247Sports Team Rankings but has risen back to 12th in the country. On3 Recruiting has the Sooners at ninth in the nation as the early signing period gets set to bring in the next wave of Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in a great spot heading into the early signing period. Though they won’t end up with the top five class they were heading for, this still has a chance to be an incredible group of players that will have a significant impact on Saturdays.

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WATCH: Oklahoma Football provides a look back on the day Brent Venables returned “home”

Oklahoma Football released a video providing a brief inside look at the Sunday that brought Brent Venables “home.”

The Sunday Lincoln Riley left for the USC shook the state of Oklahoma. The response by Joseph Harroz, Joe Castiglione, and Sooners fans was an eruption of emotion a week later with the hiring of Brent Venables.

The Oklahoma Sooners were methodical in their hiring, staying true to their values, and hiring the guy they tabbed as their first choice from the beginning. A week ago Sunday, it started with a report that OU leadership was going to South Carolina. The prevailing thought was that they were on their way to meet with Brent Venables to make him their next head coach. It was a done deal by the afternoon as reports came out that the Sooners were planning on making it official later that night.

By the time Venables arrived in Norman, thousands had descended on the airport where the Sooners’ private jet would welcome Venables home like the long-lost son. Venables was met with what looked like a pep rally the week of homecoming, which, it was in a way.

Sunday night, the Oklahoma Football social media team provided a brief look at Venables’ return to Norman, which felt more like an episode of “Friday Night Lights” than a coaching hire.

In Venables’ first meeting with the team, he can be heard saying, “we are the elite.” That Oklahoma Football is among the elite college football programs in the country.

And after two decades without a national championship and a couple of down years, Venables hopes to return the Sooners to the pinnacle of college football. A national championship win.

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OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. throws perceived shade at Lincoln Riley while introducing new head coach Brent Venables

University of Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr. shared that “all the great” coaches in OU history have names that start with “B.”

It was a celebration inside the Everest Indoor Training Center as University of Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr. and OU athletics director Joe Castiglione officially introduced Brent Venables as Oklahoma’s 23rd head football coach.

Atop a stage adorned with Oklahoma’s past national championship trophies, Harroz addressed why Venables was the right man for the job to those in attendance.

“When we went out and looked for a coach, we had two criteria. The first criteria was do they have coaching excellence? And you look at the resume — and I know you all already know it — but our new coach has a resume second to none,” Harroz said.

OU’s 15th president then listed off some of Venables’ accomplishments. Harroz detailed that each of Venables’ past seven defenses at Clemson ranked inside the top 15 in total defense and that six were ranked inside the top 10 in total defense.

He talked about how Venables has never been a part of a losing season in his 26 years as a full-time coach and that Venables’ teams have won 13 conference championships and played in eight national championship games.

“He’s got three rings to prove it,” Harroz said.

Then, Harroz discussed the second piece of criteria that Venables met.

“He’s known and his resume is complete. He’s waited his entire career patiently for the right head coaching job. But, the second criteria isn’t just are you a great coach? It’s will you believe and will you live those ideals we talked about? About developing the whole student athlete, about preparing you not just for the league, but well beyond. About being a place where we keep our commitments and a place where we are family. And I could not be more proud to have him as our new coach. Let’s wrap this thing up for my part. Coach, welcome home,” Harroz said.

All of this was to be expected. After all, it was a pep rally complete with the Pride of Oklahoma, the spirit squads and the RUF/NEKS.

What caught the crowd by surprise and delighted them all the same was the not so subtle dig at former head coach Lincoln Riley before that.

Harroz referenced the highlight video littered with past Oklahoma greats that played before he, Castiglione and then Venables took the stage.

“You saw in the video the Sooner tradition. Right, you see all the greats. All the great coaches who it seems all names start with a ‘B.’ That’s right. You hear me,” Harroz said.

Message received loud and clear. Oklahoma feels it officially has its next “great” head coach.

One of its past greats couldn’t attend, but Harroz passed along Bob Stoops’ message.

“Alright, I’ve got a message to deliver from somebody that wishes he were here. As you might imagine, there’s been a lot of conversation with Bob Stoops over the last week. Right, he steps up every time. He wanted to be here, but he’s busy on FOX. He’s also busy getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. That’s right. And so, Bob delivered a speech to me to give to you and it’s as you can imagine of some length. It’s seven words. These are his seven words and I’ll read them verbatim. He said, ‘You tell them. We got our guy,'” Harroz said.

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Oklahoma Sooners hit a home run with the hiring of Brent Venables

The Oklahoma Sooners made an excellent hire with Brent Venables.

If last night’s response to Brent Venables’ arrival to Norman was any indication, Sooners Nation is fired up about the hire of its 23rd head coach. Venables arrived to take the Oklahoma job, serenaded by the Sooners’ fight song with thousands of fans awaiting the new head coaches’ arrival.

Instantly, his energy and passion took over as he greeted the warm reception and restored confidence in a program that was left shaken a week ago.

The event that took place today at the Everest Center in Norman furthered the hype behind the hiring of Brent Venables.

Lincoln Riley had his success, of that there’s no doubt, but all of the success he had in the conference couldn’t translate to winning on the national stage. Though Venables doesn’t have head coaching experience, he’s gone up against the best the College Football Playoff had to offer, and he and the Clemson Tigers came out on top twice.

Clemson’s wins over Alabama in the 2016 and 2018 national title games represent the only time since 2014 that a team that wasn’t from the SEC won the national title.

Venables carries the same swagger that emboldened Bob Stoops to speak out against the SEC as some unstoppable juggernaut. In Stoops’ final years as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, he would consistently and unabashedly share that the SEC wasn’t the be-all, end-all of college football. In his remarks today from the even in Norman, Venables shared that same confidence. That he was the guy to lead them into the SEC, and he’s got the track record of recruiting and success on the field to prove it.

Today, in his introductory remarks, the energy, confidence, and passion he coaches with spoke volumes. However, the love he has for his players is what hits home. He spoke of his relationships with his players not being transactional. He spoke of serving the players’ hearts and not their talent. He spoke of graduating students and helping them have the best college experience. Venables spoke of that being foundational to winning a national championship. While getting to the top spot in the country is a goal, according to Venables, it doesn’t happen unless student-athletes graduate, develop as men, and have a great college experience.

Brent Venables is just the shot in the arm this program needed in the wake of last week’s coaching change. Former players and current players have already expressed their excitement for Oklahoma’s new head coach. If that doesn’t resonate with recruits considering the University of Oklahoma, I don’t know what will.

He’s been endorsed by former players, some that still play for Clemson, and in the statements from the University of Oklahoma, was endorsed by Hall of Fame Coaches Bob Stoops and Bill Snyder.

It has to translate to the field when the Sooners embark on the 2022 season, but from where the program was a week ago to how we feel about it now, this has been an A+ hire by Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione.

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Oklahoma officially names Brent Venables the 23rd head coach of the Sooners

The University of Oklahoma officially named Brent Venables the next head coach of the Sooners, with statements from OU leadership.

The University of Oklahoma officially named Brent Venables the next head coach of the Sooners. Venables was greeted with an incredible reception in Norman as thousands of fans gathered to greet the head coach who will lead the Sooners into the next era of Oklahoma football.

Venables joins the Sooners after helping the Clemson Tigers win two national titles with defenses that were some of the best in college football during his tenure.

Per a release from the University of Oklahoma, there will be an event tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. that is open to the public to welcome Brent Venables back to the Oklahoma Sooners. The event will take place at the Everest Training Center, which is located one block east of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Per the release:

A former 13-year University of Oklahoma assistant coach who won a national championship with the Sooners and two more with Clemson University during a highly successful 10-year stint as defensive coordinator, Brent Venables has been named OU’s 23rd head football coach, President Joseph Harroz Jr. and Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione announced Sunday evening.

Since joining Clemson prior to the 2012 season, Venables has constructed one of the nation’s top defenses. Over the last 10 years, the Tigers rank first nationally in sacks (445; next most is 392) and opponent third-down conversion percentage (30.2%), second in opponent pass efficiency rating (111.1) and takeaways (244; tied), third in scoring defense (17.8 ppg) and opponent completion percentage (53.3), fourth in total defense (311.4 ypg) and pass defense (190.5 ypg), fifth in interceptions (148) and sixth in rushing defense (120.9 ypg). They won conference titles each year from 2015-20.

Below are statements from Oklahoma leadership, new head coach Brent Venables, and former Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder.

5 Reasons Brent Venables to Oklahoma makes perfect sense

Here’s five reasons why Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables makes perfect sense to be Oklahoma’s next head football coach.

ESPN’s Chris Low reported that Oklahoma hopes to finalize a deal as early as today to make Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables the Sooners’ new head coach.

Low also reported that Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby would be Venables’ top choice as offensive coordinator if the deal gets reached.

Venables always felt like a very real possibility and he’s been the overwhelming favorite to get the job with the Oklahoma fan base.

Now, let’s take a look at five reasons why Venables as Oklahoma’s next head football coach makes perfect sense.

ESPN reports Sooners hope to finalize deal to make Brent Venables their next head coach

Sources tell ESPN’s Chris Low that the Oklahoma Sooners hope to finalize details to make Brent Venables the Sooners’ next head coach.

The search for the 23rd head coach of the University of Oklahoma Football team appears to be coming to a close. It was reported by John Hoover of All Sooners on SI on Friday that Oklahoma would look to have an introductory press conference on Sunday or Monday, which could mean a head coach announcement as early as Sunday.

Though all of the signs have pointed to former defensive coordinator Brent Venables returning to Oklahoma, Joe Castiglione and Bob Stoops have kept the information close to the chest. They have been willing to be patient throughout the process. Sources tell Chris Low of ESPN, the Oklahoma Sooners hope to finalize a deal with Brent Venables to be the next head coach.

According to Larry Williams of Tigers Illustrated, Venables, who’s spent the last 10 years as the defensive coordinator for the Clemson Tigers, considered taking the Auburn job a year ago.

Venables and Interim Head Coach Bob Stoops are closely tied together, and the Oklahoma leadership is as stable as it gets with Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione. Leadership and organization aren’t an issue at OU. It’s as functional of an athletic department as there is in the country.

Once the smoke cleared on Lincoln Riley’s departure, Venables was the popular choice among fans and former players, citing his success and the energy he brings to coaching. Venables was a big part of Oklahoma’s defensive success while he was here, recruiting and building a defense that provided the Sooners with an identity. At Clemson, the Tigers boasted one of the best defenses in the country, which helped them win two national championships.

Though there are still details to be ironed out, it appears that all things are pointing to Brent Venables leading the Oklahoma Sooners into the next era of OU Football.

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Oklahoma Sooners planning introductory press conference for head coach per All Sooners on SI report

Per a report from John Hoover of All Sooners on SI, the Oklahoma Sooners are planning an introductory press conference for their next Head Coach.

Though it’s just been six days since the shot heard ’round the college football world, it feels like forever since Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for the USC Trojans.

However, the future is just around the corner. It appears the Sooners are closing in on the next head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team.

According to a report from John Hoover of All Sooners on Sports Illustrated, Oklahoma is making preparations for an introductory press conference on Sunday or Monday.

Multiple sources close to the situation have confirmed to SI Sooners that plans are being made for OU athletic director Joe Castiglione to stage an introductory press conference on Sunday or possibly early Monday. – Hoover, All Sooners on SI

While Brent Venables has been a hot name connected to the Oklahoma Sooners job, Joe Castiglione indicated earlier this week that the Sooners may want to talk to head coaches involved in conference title games this weekend. That could include Baylor’s Dave Aranda, Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell or Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning.

Though the search for Oklahoma’s next head coach isn’t over, according to this report, it looks like it’s drawing to a close. Despite the coaching change, the Sooners have retained much of their 2022 recruiting class. Finding the next leader of the program will help the Sooners get back on their feet for 2023.

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Bob Stoops ‘twice refused’ pay for Interim Head Coach position

At a time when college coaches are bailing on programs for other opportunities, Bob Stoops continues to show how loyalty is legendary.

There’s nothing Bob Stoops needs to do to be considered one of the legendary figures of Oklahoma football. His run as head coach cemented his legacy. A national championship and effectively owning the Big 12 for a decade and a half are impressive accomplishments.

And yet, his legacy continues to grow.

After Lincoln Riley bailed for USC, the Oklahoma Sooners were left without a head coach approaching one of the most important times of the year: the early signing period for the 2022 recruiting class.

Wanting to reset the trajectory after Riley’s departure, Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione turned to the man who passed the program onto Riley and Bob Stoops has stepped up in a tremendous way. After being introduced earlier this week as the interim head coach, Stoops took off on the recruiting trail to reaffirm Oklahoma’s commitment to excellence and provide stability in an unstable time. And it’s making an impact.

As loyal as they come, Stoops was willing to step up and lead the program while Harroz and Castiglione conduct the search for Oklahoma’s next coach. And he was willing to do so for free.

Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz indicated that Stoops “twice declined” the $325,000 payment for taking on the coaching role for the university.

In an age where coaches are seemingly all about the money, it’s refreshing to hear a coach simply want to help.

Bob Stoops is already legend in Oklahoma sports. It was cemented when he retired. His presence is making a difference. It’s providing stability, when just five days ago  Lincoln Riley abruptly quit on the program and the team.

Getting a second run if Bob Stoops is a treat, even if it is just for the bowl game. It may only be a few weeks, but he’s the hero the Sooners needed at a time such as this.

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