Tag: Joseph Harroz

Oklahoma administration offers support for Sooners head coach Brent Venables

Speaking at the OU Board of Regents meeting, Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione offered Brent Venables a vote of confidence.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a disappointing season to say the least. 5-5 is unacceptable at the University of Oklahoma regardless of the conference one plays in. Sure, the SEC is a different challenge than what the Big 12 has offered in recent years, but head coach Brent Venables and his staff knew what was coming, and the result this season hasn’t lived up to expectations.

The Sooners most recent loss to Missouri felt like arguably the most disappointing of the season. With a lead at halftime and then again in the final two minutes, Oklahoma watched the win slip through their grasp. Now, the Sooners are staring at a potential second losing season in three years under head coach Brent Venables.

But as the hot seat turns up, Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz and athletic director Joe Castiglione offered support for their head coach. At Tuesday’s OU Board of Regents meeting, Harroz and Castiglione were asked about their confidence in Venables.

“It’s unwavering right now,” Harroz told media members. “We know it’s been a tough season. I’ve been around Oklahoma Football for a long time. We have the right coach. This is our coach. We knew it was going to be a tough year going to the SEC, the first year. You add that with all of the things that are taking place around the shifting NIL landscape, with hopefully more certainty coming next year if the preliminary approval becomes final in the lawsuit. We knew there was going to be some turbulence. Obviously, we’d love to have more wins, but our confidence in the coach is as steady as it’s ever been.”

Harroz went on to share with The Oklahoman that his confidence in Venables is at “100%.”

The season has certainly had it’s share of issues from injuries to staff changes to inexperience on the offensive side of the ball. Castiglione is aware of the challenges Venables and his staff have faced.

“I believe in Brent,” Castiglione shared with The Oklahoman. “He’s gone up against the best offensive coordinators that college football has seen as a defensive coordinator. He understands, as any head coach would, what makes teams tough to defend, and we want to be focused on hiring a coach that can assemble the strategy to make our offense one of the toughest to defend in college football.

“You do that with getting the right coaches to identify the right talent and teach and develop them. Put the team in a position to be successful and play complementary football. Because we’ve seen all of the time how important that is to win games, especially in a very, very challenging league like the SEC. But we want to continue to have our sights set on being among the best in the SEC and beyond.”

The Oklahoma Sooners won’t likely reach a bowl game in 2024 unless they can find an offense over the final three weeks of the regular season. With games against Alabama and LSU remaining after the bye, the Sooners are on track for their worst season since 1998.

Brent Venables and the Sooners will have a number of important decisions to make this offseason. From the offensive coordinator to their quarterback situation. Venables has to get this offseason right.

Curtis Lofton officially promoted to general manager of Oklahoma football

The former star linebacker is now officially the new general manager for the Sooners.

Nothing says 2024 in college football like the term general manager that is popping up at programs across the country. Previously only really seen at the professional ranks in sports, it’s one more thing that is different in the new world of college athletics.

The Oklahoma Sooners football program officially has one of its own in Norman. [autotag]Curtis Lofton[/autotag], who played linebacker for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] in the mid-2000s, was officially promoted to general manager of the Oklahoma football program. Expected for some time, it is an agenda item on the Board of Regents meeting scheduled for Friday.

Lofton is the director of the Sooners’ S.O.U.L. Mission, and is set to earn quite the pay increase, going from $101,500 to $300,000 per year.

George Stoia of SoonerScoop and On3 took to social media to deliver the news.

Lofton was named general manager in February and has been performing GM duties for months. He becomes the first general manager in OU’s history, and the job will evolve as the landscape of college sports takes shape in the future.

But it’s clear that Venables decided he needed a full-time GM to help with roster management and other aspects of the program. It’s a move that, just like everything other Venables move, is being made to help the Sooners compete in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] and compete for national championships.

Venables was extremely complimentary of his former player in the lead up to spring practice.

“Curtis has been doing what he has been doing in the last couple of years. He’s been fantastic, S.O.U.L. Mission as a whole is fantastic, and remember, S.O.U.L. Mission isn’t just one job. It’s, again, holistic development. And they’re leaders, they’re mentors, they’re recruiters, they’re therapists, they’re competitors. And Curtis brings a lot to the table. The same things he did as a player, now he’s using those transferable skills as a leader in our program. So, he’s been fantastic.”

Lofton was a great player for the Sooners for three seasons from 2005-2007, earning consensus All-American honors in his final year. During his 2007 junior season, the linebacker totaled 157 tackles, with 10 1/2 tackles for loss. He had three interceptions and a fumble recovery, giving him a pair of defensive touchdowns. Lofton was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year that season.

Colton Sulley of The Oklahoman also reported the news on social media, adding the pay bump for Football Operations Administrator [autotag]Woody Glass[/autotag]. His salary will increase from $310,000 annually to $350,000 annually.

Glass’ position is essentially a chief of staff role. He joined the staff in 2022 as special assistant to the head coach before being promoted to his current position last year. Glass replaced [autotag]Thad Turnipseed[/autotag], who resigned from his position in June of 2023.

Clear leadership will be important in the brave new world of the SEC and the shifting sands of college football. Current players and future recruits will want to know who’s running the show. The Oklahoma Sooners have their leaders in place going into all of the changes. Venables, Lofton, Glass, athletic director [autotag]Joe Castiglione[/autotag] and university president [autotag]Joseph Harroz[/autotag] are the faces of a new era of Sooner football.

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University of Oklahoma leadership finalizes plans for SEC move at Board of Regents meeting

Oklahoma hosted a Board of Regents meeting to finalize plans for their move to the SEC.

Oklahoma’s time in the Big 12 has its official move-out day. After a special Board of Regents meeting hosted Friday afternoon, it is now official: Oklahoma’s last day in the conference will be June 30, 2024.

The special Board of Regents meeting was announced unexpectedly on Wednesday. However, the meeting served a significant purpose. The university finalized OU’s early exit to the SEC from the Big 12.

OU president Joseph Harroz spoke to the media on Friday to add clarity regarding the purpose of the meeting and what was accomplished.

“Today is the documentation of what was announced in February on the agreement with the Big 12 commissioner, the Big 12, the University of Texas, and for our departure from the Big 12 one year early,” OU President Joseph Harroz said Friday. “This brings together all those things and approves the agreements that will document that.”

Texas is, by and large, doing the same thing on its end and allowing itself the requisite time to make sure no legal issues may arise that could impede the transition from one conference to the next. The Big 12 announced an early-exit agreement with Oklahoma and Texas on Feb. 9. Both schools were supposed to depart in 2025 but came to an agreement that would allow both schools to leave next year. However, the two schools will pay $100 million combined in early exit fees.

The Sooners plan to leave behind their $40 million from its Big 12 television rights from 2023, which will contribute to their exit fee. With that hurdle clear, all systems are a go, and Oklahoma closes in on its historic move to the SEC.

“It just accelerates a few things,” Sooners’ athletic director Joe Castiglione said on Friday. “We’ve been working on this for the last, say, a year and a half since we announced our move. We’ve done a lot of work on campus. Many of our staff members have come together and worked on various subcommittees on a myriad of topics.”

Oklahoma will begin competition in the SEC during the 2024-2025 academic year for every sport but men’s gymnastics and wrestling since SEC schools don’t support these programs.

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Statements from OU, Texas, SEC, and the Big 12 on early exit agreement

Big 12 statement on the early exit agreement to allow Oklahoma and Texas to leave for the SEC in time for the 2024 season.

The long-awaited early exit agreement came to fruition on Thursday afternoon. The Big 12, Oklahoma, Texas, and their broadcast partners were able to reach an agreement to let the Red River Rivals depart for the SEC in time for the 2024 season.

The agreement, which will pay the Big 12 a $100 million exit fee was reached after months of negotiations that began to heat up in recent weeks. Now Oklahoma and Texas can begin preparations in earnest for the SEC after their final year in the Big 12 this fall.

The Sooners and Longhorns will become the 15th and 16th members of the expanding SEC in the same year that the College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams. All that awaits is a format for the 16-team league, which appears to favor a nine-game non-divisional schedule.

The Big 12 released the following statements from the powers that be in reaction to the agreement.

Bedlam no more: Athletic Directors cite scheduling as reason for lost rivalry game

Per The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are not planning a nonconference schedule that include Bedlam once OU moves to the SEC.

The announcement of Oklahoma’s future move to the SEC sent shockwaves throughout college football. From a local perspective, it not only surprised Oklahomans but created a sense of animosity from the Sooners’ in-state rival, Oklahoma State.

In the aftermath of Oklahoma’s acceptance into the SEC, Oklahoma State President Kayse Shrum shared her thoughts on the move.

We are disappointed by the lack of engagement and transparency from our colleagues at OU over the past months on a matter with serious ramifications for our state. We have historically worked together to advance our state and address issues based on a partnership built on trust. To that end, we will continue to work with purpose to the advancement of our state and the betterment of our fellow Oklahomans. In the ever-changing college athletic landscape, we will honor our values and ethics as we consider the next steps. Our commitment to our student-athletes is top of mind, and their best interests will be represented prominently. We enjoy a proud athletic heritage with more national championships than any other Big 12 university, and we will aggressively pursue the opportunities ahead. Additionally, our university enjoys a great brand known for education, research, and service, and we will move forward with strength. — Shrum

No mincing words there with her thoughts on the University of Oklahoma. Mike Gundy didn’t hold back either when asked about the future of Bedlam.

I don’t think it will. I just don’t think there’s a business side of it that…I don’t make that decision. I guess Dr. Shrum and Chad Weiberg, they could do whatever they wanted or the board. I don’t know who’s involved in this. I don’t think it’s a realistic thing that it’s going to happen based on the business side of power-five conference football in the Big 12 or the SEC. That’s just my opinion on it. – Gundy

We’ve known Oklahoma State’s thoughts on the matter for some time. OU President Joseph Harroz and Athletic Director Joe Castiglione have maintained that they’d like the game to continue. According to Brett McMurphy of Action Sports, the two sides don’t see a way forward for Bedlam due to scheduling.

McMurphy spoke with the athletic directors of both schools. Chad Weiberg of Oklahoma State and Castiglione of Oklahoma. Oklahoma State’s lack of interest, combined with the reality that nonconference scheduling is planned out so far ahead that both schools are pretty well full, makes it challenging to see a path forward for Bedlam in the next decade.

Oklahoma has planned home and home matchups with SMU, Michigan, Nebraska, and Clemson. Oklahoma State has Arizona State, Arkansas, Nebraska, Alabama, Oregon, and Colorado on the books for future nonconference matchups.

According to McMurphy, OU and OSU prefer to schedule just one Power Five opponent in nonconference. So that provides little room for Bedlam.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will lock up in mid-November in a game that will have Big 12 title and College Football Playoff implications. It could also be the last Bedlam game for the foreseeable future. While the move to the SEC isn’t expected until 2025, there’s a chance it could come earlier if OU and Texas are willing to pay the price.

While the SEC is exciting, it is a shame that Bedlams won’t be a part of the regular schedule. Hopefully, a time comes when the two schools can come together and make the game happen. It may be a lopsided rivalry, but it’s one that means a lot for both schools and for the state of Oklahoma.

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Best Photos of Brent Venables from his Oklahoma head coaching debut

After nine months in Norman, the long-awaited debut of Brent Venables lived up to expectations as the Oklahoma Sooners beat UTEP 45-13.

The long-awaited debut of the Brent Venables era at the University of Oklahoma came off without a hitch. Well, mostly.

It wasn’t a perfect day, but the Oklahoma Sooners came away with a 45-13 win over UTEP in a game that was close briefly in the second quarter until Oklahoma turned on the juice again.

Venables’ Sooners came out hungry and played with passion and energy from the get go. Offensively that had several big plays in the first quarter; a deep ball to Marvin Mims, a big run from Eric Gray, a big catch and run from Mims, and then the Gavin Freeman touchdown.

Defensively, they were flying to the football. They weren’t satisfied with one Oklahoma defender getting to the ball. It was as if they all wanted to be in on the tackle. Something that was noticeable in the spring game carried over to the 2022 season opener. Team tackling.

Again, not perfect as the Sooners missed 11 tackles against a tough quarterback and an elusive set of skill players. Still, it was better than the 15 missed tackles allowed against Tulane in week one of 2021.

And as our Ben Dackiw wrote, there was a noticeable difference in what played out on the field in the 2022 season opener compared to a year ago.

Unlike a year ago, the Sooners dominated their opponent on the scoreboard to a 32-point win, came away with 6 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and allowed less than one yard per carry against UTEP’s rushing attack.

Offensively, they were balanced, and Dillon Gabriel looked poised as the Sooners racked up 492 yards of total offense at 8.1 yards per play.

And as important as the scoreboard was how this team looked, winning by 32. They looked like their head coach. A fiery, energetic, passionate, and aggressive team.

After months of preparation, Brent Venables led his team onto the field for the first time and described it as “special.”

“Well, that was really fast. That went really fast. A special day for a lot of reasons,” Brent Venables said. “Most of all, we did a lot of things for the first time today. A lot of players experienced things for the first time. I’m super thankful for the fans today. They were outstanding. Our Walk of Champions and the energy in the stadium when we kicked off was really special. No surprise.”

From the pregame to the game, even as temperatures forced fans to leave their seats, the environment spoke to a new beginning. An excitement that had been building for months to witness what the next era of Oklahoma football would look like.

And when it was all said and done, the Sooners handed a game ball to each player and coach in the locker room. President Joseph Harroz and athletic director Joe Castiglione also received game balls from Brent Venables.

It was an act of appreciation from the Sooners’ new head coach to his staff, administration, and the players for buying into what Venables was preaching and putting in the work.

And in turn, Venables received a game ball from the administration that put their faith in the returning son.

“Yeah, I actually did. Everybody in there got one. We gave them to Joe [Castiglione] and Joe [Harroz]. I gave him to Joe and Joe for believing in me. And this is Oklahoma. They didn’t have to hire me. And I don’t take that for granted at all. So, we gave them a game ball after we gave one to every player and coach in there. So again, we’ve talked about, again, this being Team 128, and we want to celebrate success no matter how it looks. But it’s a special day, certainly, for our players in 2022 and where we want to go as a program. For me, this is gonna be a date that we all remember for a long, long time. So, everybody got one.”

It was an emotional moment that came from 36 years biding his time and waiting on the right place and the right time to take the leap into the head coaching ranks. It was a great debut for Brent Venables and the new-look Sooners. You can take a look back at some of the best photos of Oklahoma’s new head coach from the UTEP game.

What Brent Venables had to say during his first Big 12 media day press conference

The highlights of Brent Venables turn at the podium on day 2 of Big 12 media days.

The Oklahoma Sooners took their turn at Big 12 media day with Brent Venables taking to the podium and various players doing interviews as well. For Venables, it was his first time to take the stage at a conference media day session after 30 years of coaching. Before taking the Sooners’ head coaching gig, he sat in the background as the defensive coordinator, patiently waiting for his opportunity to take the right head coaching job.

And in December, when he was approached about taking over as head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners, it was the job that made sense for him to make a move.

During his media session, Venables shared a lot about the program’s vision and what he likes about this current group heading into the 2022 season.

Social media reactions to big OU recruiting week with Brent Venables Camp and ChampU BBQ

Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners’ big week on the recruiting front with Brent Venables camp and the ChampU BBQ.

It was a big week in Norman for the Oklahoma Sooners who spent time hosting players of all ages for multiple camps, with the high school camp already reaping the reward with the commitment of four-star wide receiver Keyon Brown.

The biggest event of the week came in the ChampU BBQ, where the Sooners football program hosted players from the 2023 class, many for official visits. 2023 takes center stage for the next eight months as the Oklahoma Sooners attempt to lock in commitments through 2023’s national signing day next February.

Though he still has several official visits to attend, top 10 offensive line prospect [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] was in Norman for his official visit with the Sooners. He’s received numerous projections to land with Oklahoma over the last couple of months.

As they look to “win Oklahoma,” the Sooners also had in four-star athlete [autotag]Jacobe Johnson[/autotag] out of Mustang. Johnson, the No. 2 player in the state according is projected to land with Oklahoma as well. Johnson and several other visitors shared thoughts on their time with Oklahoma with 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong.

[autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag], a four-star edge rusher, and top 20 player according to On3 Recruiting shared his thoughts with Chad Simmons on his time with the Sooners.

It was a great week for Oklahoma Football. They’ll have more official visits coming this week, but let’s take a look at some of the best social media reactions from recruits, parents, and coaches.

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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