"You got your guy," Brent Venables ready to help OU in move to SEC
NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) - It was a celebration in the Everett Training Center on Monday morning as the Sooner Nation welcomed Brent Venables as the new head football coach.
Fans, former players, and current players packed inside the center to hear from Venables for the first time as the Sooners' head coach.
Venables said that he spoke to members of the OU football team on Sunday night, and then had an in-person team meeting on campus on Monday.
"To be able to wake up today and come into the office and have a team meeting today, I'm not sure the last time I felt so fulfilled and excited," he said.
He said he was extremely grateful for the players putting their trust in him.
"Only God could do this," he added.
Venables said that Oklahoma is known as one of the biggest powerhouses in college football and he's prepared to take the Sooners into the SEC.
"Now taking the lead and also taking it through one of the biggest transitions in college football, taking Oklahoma from the Big 12 to the SEC. You've got your guy to take you on this journey. Also, make no mistake about it, Oklahoma has been and always will be the measuring stick in college football," Venables said.
He said that while winning is important, he also wanted to make sure that Oklahoma serves as a program that helps their players on and off the field. Venables said his main goal was make sure that players had the tools to graduate with a degree, accomplish their goals, and then have championship appearances.
"To our former players, you're always welcome. This is your home. This program was built by you and it will be sustained by you. Anything that you need, you come to my office. You reach me anytime. We're here for you and we're here because of you," he said.
Venables said that he is prepared to push players to help them grow and prepare them for what's ahead.
"I love my guys. I'm gonna coach them really, really hard, but I'm gonna love them more. I'm gonna love them more. We will employ an exciting, fast, explosive and diverse offense, combined with a physical, punishing, relentless, suffocating defense," he said.