Venables getting settled in

Dave Hunt
12 months ago
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It’s been about six months since former OU Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables left Norman and headed east to Clemson.

Dave Hunt
Staff Writer - OUInsider

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12 months ago

http://oklahoma.247sports.com/Article/Venables-getting-settled-in-79028
(Copyright OUInsider)
It’s been about six months since former OU Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables left Norman and headed east to Clemson. Since his arrival in Death Valley, Venables has been through winter conditioning, spring practice, the Clemson spring game and now recruiting. For Venables and his family, the transition at times has been challenging.
“All of my four children were born in Norman,” said Venables. “We haven’t’ really been anywhere else, outside of Kansas. So, there were a lot of firsts in picking up the family and moving them across the country. We’re actually getting ready to do our third move here this week. We finally found a place to buy. The transition has been really good. It’s been tough at times. There has been a very supportive group of people in the community.”
Anytime a coach moves from one school to another, there’s very little time to get adjusted. You have to hit the ground running in most cases. But, Venables has had very few challenges in settling into his new job.
“Anytime you go into a new place as the coordinator you’re worried about resistance,” said Venables. “But, I’ve been very pleasantly surprised. There hasn’t been any resistance, by players or coaches. So, that part of it was a breath of fresh air.”
Venables first order of business will be to find some linemen who can replace 2011 seniors Andre Branch, Brandon Thompson and Ronnie Moore. Branch was a second-team All-American last year when he had a team best 17 tackles for loss, including an ACC best 10.5 sacks. He had 85 total tackles and nearly became the first lineman to lead Clemson in tackles since William Perry in 1984. Thompson was fourth on the team in tackles with 77, while Moore had 58, including 10 tackles for loss, second best on the team.
“I saw them get better,” said Venables. “We had to scale everything back to the very basics because with a new defense, they are all like freshmen. When you have a system in place and had the continuity that we did at OU, we didn’t have to always go back to the basics. The basics were already in place. With the being said, these guys are having to learn a new language, how to get lined up, how to practice the right way and how to study the game the right way and certainly, how to execute.
“I did see our guys get better. Really in just everything, in understanding what we do. Understanding the fundamentals, the technique and the intensity that it takes to practice the right way and to compete the right way. There’s so much that still needs to take place but so much that we have worked through and installed. But I was very pleased. By the time the spring game got here I thought we were playing in a very clean way, they were playing aggressive and with discipline.”
Clemson opens the 2012 season on September 1st when they host Auburn.

This post has been edited 3 times, most recently by Alan H on 6/28/2012 at 6:23 PM
Dave Hunt
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12 months ago Premium Post
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SoonerBredCD
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OU MAJOR
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kwest2
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Scapegoat
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12 months ago

What Kwest2 said...plus unless he is coaching at OkState
wilsonIII
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12 months ago

Why should we care about Venables now?
hutchsalthawk
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12 months ago

What's next? A "what's he doing now?" on John Blake? An update on Howard Schnellenberger's retirement tributes? A new day in the new life of kelvin Sampson? They're all gone to coach somewhere else. I guess the writers here just really like Venables and mistake their personal feelings for public interest.
withoutadoubt
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12 months ago

I'd rather have Mike as 10 venerables

This post was edited by powervault on 6/28/2012 at 2:54 PM
powervault
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12 months ago

Good luck to Brent and wish him well.
jim4ou
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12 months ago

withoutadoubt said...
I guess the writers here just really like Venables and mistake their personal feelings for public interest.

maybe the mistake is yours.
i am both interested and glad to hear about brent here, and will continue to be that way.
GeorgiaCrimson
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12 months ago

I like BV, he was always good to us, but I totally understand the questions about WHY this is on here.
To be frank BV will either sink or swim at Clemson. If he succeeds, then he becomes a POSSIBLE replacement to Bob Stoops when he retires from coaching, which will happen in the next 5 - 10 years. Brent was loved and respected here by the OU administration, and yes, if Joe C is still here when Bob retires, Brent will be a PRIME candidate for a replacement.
Like it or not, we know this as a fact.
So. if we're smart, as a site, and as OU fans, we'll keep an eye open here. Certainly, if OU and Clemson were to play, it's war. But until that day comes, we're stupid if we don't stay in touch here.
That's the reason this is here, and the reason we all should choose to follow BV's career.
AH OUInsider
Alan H
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12 months ago

Agree, who gives a rip about him. I'd rather read articles about those devoted to OU
jimlane
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12 months ago

I am thankful you posted this article, unlike some. I think it is interesting to follow our former coaches and players. They were and will always be part of the Sooner Nation. I think the world of BV and wish him well. I hope he coaches at OU someday in the future. In fact, I think it is better that he goes and learns "new" stuff rather than stay and take over for Bob. One of my mentors likes to say, "you have to go to grow."/
Plus, I visited Clemson not too long ago and it is a very nice campus and looks like a nice place to be.
albsooner
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12 months ago

To be frank BV will either sink or swim at Clemson.

Totally agree... Brent put himself in a Make It or Break It situation. If Clemson develops the top defense in the ACC, he becomes an immediate Head Coach candidate. If the defense goes south and Clemson can't out score other teams, Brent's best days will have been at OU.
I bet he does well. I don't like Clemson or Dabo, but I will be pulling for Brent.
NCJIM
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12 months ago via 247Sports Mobile

Glad to hear he and family are doing well. Thanks for the update.
SoonerINGA ●
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12 months ago

jimlane said...Agree, who gives a rip about him.? I'd rather read articles about those devoted to OU

On the surface, I don't disagree with your stance, but . . . as we posted above, we should care about Brent if he becomes a viable candidate to replace Bob at some point in time.
Stoops is probably 10 years away from retirement, maybe more, so it may not be an issue, but you never know.
Also, he remains very close to Mike and Bob and to others on the Sooner staff. They talk, and share ideas.
I know that when Tommy Bowden was at Clemson, he and members of his staff flew out to Norman for two days one spring. It would not be shocking to see Venables visit the staff at some point in the future.
AH OUInsider
Alan H
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12 months ago via 247Sports Mobile

I don't have strong feelings about BV but he did give OU 13 seasons and it stands to reason that there should be at least a good handful of subscribers with at least a mild interest in how he is doing. After all, it is June, not October. Of course, we might be missing out on 3rd hand information passed from Smitty to OU's Asst Coaches to Alan/James and then to us :)
For those complaining, there is always the back button.
NorthCalSooner
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12 months ago

Thanks for the update on Venables. Hope he does well at Clemson.
golfingsooner
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12 months ago

Very funny comments - - especially since it is the end of June and their is soooooo much other topics we could be reading about (tongue in cheek). The title couldn't be any clearer on what is was about. Listen ladies - if you don't want to read about Venables - don't open the topic. There are some on the board that are interested in his transition.
progsooner
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12 months ago

progsooner said...Listen ladies - if you don't want to read about Venables - don't open the topic. There are some on the board that are interested in his transition.

Exactly.
Comparing Venables to Blake or Schnellenberger is just laughable. The guy was a huge part of our success during the Stoops era, and it boggles my mind that anyone would feel antagonistic toward him. I'm grateful to Coach V. for everything he did at OU -- and he did plenty -- and wish him well now.
I wonder how some who are convinced that we'd have gone undefeated for the past decade if only Mike Stoops had stuck around will react the first time some team lights us up -- and it'll happen; it happened when Mike was here the first time. Will they light the torches and storm the castle as they did any time they perceived that Venables had fallen short?

This post was edited by skyvue on 6/29/2012 at 11:33 AM
skyvue
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12 months ago

I find it curious that some Sooner fans are so soon not interested in an occasional news article about Brent. Its not that I swoon over him, but I do intend to catch up with what's going on at Clemson from time to time now that Brent is there.
...Much like I did when Mike was at 'Zona.
DawgSooner
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12 months ago

I appreciate the update on coach V. He had a lot to with the success at OU since Bob, he and the other original coaches came to Norman. I'd like to thank him for all of his efforts, sacrifices and time he spent making OU one of the best programs in the country again after the hell we went through with the Smells of bourbon and Blake years.
Personally, I hope he has nothing but success, as long as they're not playing OU, for his duration at Clemson. I'm curious how Clemson will be with his style of defense in the ACC. Again, thanks staff for keeping up with coach V and letting some of us know how he's doing.
JetDoc
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12 months ago

Good for him. Great story. Now let all parties move on.
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12 months ago

Agree with Alan, some severe short-sightedness going on. But whatever you have to say about Brent, he gave 13 years of his life (i mean this literally, because the dude has ONE gear, all-on) to OU, and has done more for OU than any of us will ever do. And I also see Alan's point about possible succession. All that aside, Clemson has reaped some SERIOUS recruiting benefits here in the last month or so, signing the best defensive player out there and another highly touted defensive player in that time.
MDS00NER
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