Oklahoma hires Clemson's Brent Venables to replace Riley

Oklahoma hired Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables as its head coach to replace Lincoln Riley on Sunday night, bringing back a former Sooners assistant with a long track record of success.

Venables will be introduced Monday morning on the campus in Norman, the school said.

The 50-year-old Venables was on Oklahoma's staff under Bob Stoops as co-defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2003 and defensive coordinator from 2004 to 2011. He was co-defensive coordinator when the Sooners won the 2000 national title. He left Oklahoma for Clemson in 2012 and won the Broyles Award in 2016 as the nation's top assistant. He's been on the staff of teams that have won three national titles and appeared in eight national championship games.

“He knows the formula to win national championships and has the toughness, the attitude and the fight that I think will elevate our program in a lot of positive ways,” said Stoops, who has been serving as interim coach since Riley's surprising departure last week for Southern California. “I’ve always loved his energy, excitement and passion for the game — it clearly spills over to his players.”

Venables, who will be a head coach for the first time, said in a statement he's excited to add to the history of a program that's won seven national titles and had seven Heisman Trophy winners. He also said he's embracing the Sooners’ eventual move to the Southeastern Conference, which is set for 2025.

“There’s no question we are equipped to compete at the very highest level and attract the best players from across the country,” he said. “The OU logo has never been stronger.”

Under Venables, Clemson led the nation in scoring defense in 2018, and his 2020 unit tied for the lead in sacks. This season, Clemson ranks second nationally in scoring defense,...