CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd graded all of college football’s hires and Oklahoma’s hiring of Brent Venables earned a grade of “A-.”
Here’s what Dodd wrote about Oklahoma hiring Venables.
The departure of Riley stunned Sooners everywhere, but AD Joe Castiglione recovered quickly to grab the veteran Clemson defensive coordinator who has turned down several jobs over the years. This is a perfect fit with Venables having worked with or for Bob Stoops across 16 seasons. The Sooners will be better defensively. Considering the offense is being turned over to Jeff Lebby, the Air Raid concepts will stay in place. This is an impressive lineup to transition into the SEC. – CBS Sports, Dodd.
Venables is certainly familiar with Oklahoma and bringing in Jeff Lebby as offensive coordinator is an exciting pairing.
The highest grade Dodd handed out went to Oklahoma’s former head coach. USC’s hiring of Lincoln Riley earned a grade of “A+.”
As sudden and swift as Riley left Oklahoma, out on the West Coast the prospects at USC improved in a heartbeat. Riley carries the future of not only USC but the Pac-12 in his playbook. The league’s flagship program will start keeping California five-stars home. Riley has the coaching chops to move the Trojans back to the top. It was bit unnerving (for OU loyalists) when Riley said, “This was too good to pass up.” It made Oklahoma look like a stepping stone. USC looked forward to a limitless future. – CBS Sports, Dodd.
Miami’s hiring of Mario Cristobal, LSU’s hiring of Brian Kelly, Florida’s hiring of Billy Napier and Fresno State’s hiring of Jeff Tedford all received grades of “A.”
Two other Big 12 vacancies were filled by Sonny Dykes at TCU and Joey McGuire at Texas Tech. Dykes’ hire at TCU earned a “B” grade, but McGuire at Texas Tech received one of the lowest grades with a “C.”
Here’s what Dodd wrote about Dykes taking over at TCU.
TCU wants to remain competitive in the reconstituted Big 12. Dykes comes over from one of the Horned Frogs’ biggest rivals with a proven track record of winning. His record at SMU (33-17) was the best of any coach since the death penalty. At a key point in its history, TCU is committed to spending big to stay relevant in the new Big 12. – CBS Sports, Dodd.
Dodd wasn’t as high on McGuire at Texas Tech, writing the following.
AD Kirby Hocutt fired Wells after a 5-3 start. He replaced him with Baylor’s outside linebackers coach, who has deep roots as a Texas high school coach. Sound familiar? In terms of football only, McGuire looks like a next-generation Art Briles … without the baggage. – CBS Sports, Dodd.
Two other high-profile openings—Notre Dame’s hire of Marcus Freeman and Oregon’s hire of Dan Lanning—were given the grade of “B.”
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