Brent Venables previously signed a six-years, $53.2 million Contract with the Sooners ! see

Long-time assistant Brent Venables finally found the right spot to become a head coach – Oklahoma. The former Sooner assistant returns to Norman after a successful run as Clemson’s defensive coordinator from 2012-21. Although Venables has never been a head coach, his previous knowledge of Oklahoma, track record on defense and ability to recruit should help him seamlessly slide into the top spot. However, the first-year coach stepped into a tough spot in some regards, as the Sooners lost a couple of quarterbacks to the transfer portal and have room to improve along the offensive line and on defense.

Oklahoma’s streak of consecutive Big 12 titles ended at six in 2021. However, even with some roster and coaching turnover, the Sooners still have more than enough talent to get back into the mix in ’22. How quickly can Venables put all of the pieces into place?

For every new coach, the to-do list after the initial press conference is pretty standard. The head coach has to recruit, add through the transfer portal, implement scheme changes, build a staff of quality assistants and coordinators, discuss potential NFL draft impact with juniors and work on any facility or support staff requests. Needless to say, that’s a lot.

While every coach has those goals in mind, it’s never too early to look at some of the personnel concerns surrounding a program and a new coach for the upcoming year.

Here’s an early look at five personnel question marks for Venables to address in 2022: