Quiet Recruiting Week for Oklahoma Amid Coach Change

The Sooners’ recruiting process has been quiet this week, but things may not have gone smoothly for the Oklahoma coaching staff.

First, OU had to prepare for a top-20 opponent in Ole Miss and ultimately lost 26-14 In Oxford on Saturday. But even before that there was a change in coaching. Brent Venables fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell. While on the move, he delegated playmaking duties to his co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. Joe Jon Finleyand Venables also backed the offensive analyst Kevin Johns to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, the position where Littrell coaches.

Obviously a coaching change would result in immediate changes to this season’s team, but such a move could also impact the future of the program. earlier in SIs John Hoover During Venables’ weekly press conference on Tuesday, he specifically asked the head coach how the recent coaching change would affect recruiting.

Here’s Venables’ full response: “No. 1, before I make a commitment, I want to know why they’re making a commitment. If they say, it’s just because of the coach position and that’s it, that’s the end of it” There will be more need for conversation. For the men who go to the University of Oklahoma, I want this name, this brand, this university to enrich the lives of them and other families. I’m the head coach, and it’s important that the vision of the program, the decision-making process, is in alignment with the vision of the program and what they want for themselves through the program. Holistically speaking, there is a crime here. He’s a defensive and special teams piece that’s really important to all these guys, and it can be very emotional, but at the end of the day, they have to trust me as a leader and definitely trust this team. He’s here right now, he’s going to work on these relationships.

“You’ve been talking to guys more carefully every day for the last few months now, because some guys aren’t going to flip the script as they develop really strong relationships that are going to be life-changing decisions for several years. “At the end of the day, our vision is to have a high-scoring, explosive, diverse offense that recruits want to play in. There’s a body of work at the University of Oklahoma where we can have the best, where coaches on the planet are coaching, entrepreneurship and improving, and we’re going to have that, I think at the end of the day, it’s a holistic approach on the field, for the recruits and certainly for their families. Scheme is important again, knowing that we’re not going to go triple option going forward, when we can attack people, get the ball and be in good shape, we’ll have something of a balance in what we do, from an attacking perspective, both in scheme, in tempo, in things like that, it’s good for the game. Be aggressive with what’s happening.”

Hoover followed up and asked Venables if he had heard anything negative about the coaching move and his recruiting process due to his offensive struggles.

Venables replied: “I mean, I’m not naive. Even when your business is doing well, people are always trying to get away.” “In this conference we’re in, we’re recruiting not just anybody, we’re recruiting the best in college football – the best coaches, the best universities, the best systems, the best development – and that was the case two months ago and it’s not going to change. You’ve got to recruit and work every day.” Every once in a while you come across a member who is affected by this. If you think the kitchen is hot now, it really is. Your career is going to be much worse than it is now. I haven’t heard or felt any distress about it. I think there is an expectation and a trust – and as I said, there is not. A lot of people are surprised. People and families understand that’s part of the job, too, so when you make life-changing decisions, it often goes beyond the specific coach.

Considering the situation, it might have been the best thing for the Sooners if the rookies had a quiet week. As of Saturday night, no organizational unit had reneged on commitments since the coaching change.

On Sunday, the same day it was announced that Littrell had been fired. Jaden Nguyen He announced an offer from the Sooners. Nguyen is an interior offensive lineman from Cisco College. The 6-foot-1, 300-pound prospect also has offers from Auburn, Boise State, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Rutgers, Utah and more. He also visited Oregon on Saturday, although there is no offer yet.

And for what it’s worth, Nguyen has received offers from other programs since OU, but his announcement about OU is still posted at the top of his profile on the X.