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Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables to call defensive plays in 2025

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables will be calling his team’s defensive plays in 2025.

The Sooners announced Saturday that the longtime college defensive coordinator and fourth-year head coach would take over play-calling duties on that side of the ball. In the same announcement, the Sooners officially added former Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin and former Utah State interim coach Nate Dreiling to the team’s defensive staff.

“I have reflected on all facets of our program over the past several weeks,” Venables said in a statement. “Since I was hired as head coach, we have carefully assembled the defensive personnel and scheme that is suited to compete at the highest level, and we’ve built a deep and talented roster ready for the moment. I have high expectations for our program and will do everything in my power to achieve our goals for our players. To that end, I will take over defensive play-calling responsibilities for the 2025 season.

“Adding Nate and Wes to our team, with their extensive and diverse experience, simply adds to my expectations and excitement for our defensive unit. I’m energized by the prospect of getting back into play-calling and for the continued momentum I see us gaining with the strategic moves we’re making on both sides of the ball. The addition of Ben Arbuckle as a young, innovative and proven offensive coordinator, as well as the talented players we’ve added via the transfer portal, have me equally excited about the immediate future of our offense.”

Oklahoma enters 2025 after a 6-7 season that concluded with a loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl. It was the second time in three seasons that Oklahoma had finished a season with six wins. In 2023, the Sooners were 10-3, but lost the Alamo Bowl to Arizona.

Defensive coordinator Zac Alley left for the same position at West Virginia after the 2024 season, which has allowed Oklahoma to reshape the way its defensive staff is structured.

Todd Bates and Jay Valai are the co-defensive coordinators while Dreiling and Goodwin will coach linebackers. Goodwin was fired after the 2024 season at Clemson as the Tigers struggled to contain opposing run games. Dreiling was appointed Utah State’s interim coach ahead of the 2024 season after coach Blake Anderson was fired. Dreiling was previously hired in early January to serve as the defensive coordinator at Arkansas State in 2025.

Head coach Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners reacts against the LSU Tigers during a game at Tiger Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Oklahoma was 29th in the country in scoring defense at 21.5 points per game in 2024. The bigger problem was the team’s offense, as the Sooners scored just 24 points per game. QB Jackson Arnold struggled — and is now at Auburn — and was benched for a period of time for freshman QB Michael Hawkins Jr. Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell was fired in October.

The Sooners hired Arbuckle from Washington State in the offseason and landed former Washington State QB John Mateer not long after Arbuckle was signed. Mateer was one of the most prolific QBs in college football a season ago with 29 passing TDs and 15 rushing TDs.

The makeover on both sides of the ball comes as Oklahoma has another difficult schedule in 2025. The Sooners host Michigan in Week 2 and six of the team’s eight SEC games are against teams that finished last season in the AP Top 25.

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