One year after the Texas Longhorns hired their shiny new head coach, Steve Sarkisian, their rivals did the same thing.
The Oklahoma Sooners hired head coach Brent Venables in 2022, and since then, the road has been as rocky as ever for the team on the north side of the Red River.
Over the last four years, Venables has earned just two winning records, has never played in a conference championship game, and has floundered in the Red River Rivalry.
Despite those three glaring red flags on Venables' head coaching resume, the Sooners just gave their head coach a two-year extension, bumping his contract up to a six-year, $10.5-million deal.
What a choice! The Longhorns should take a victory lap simply because Venables has been so bad when it comes to the Texas-OU game.
Brent Venables' contract extension may hand Texas rivalry wins for years to come
Not only have the Horns charged to the front of the Red River Rivalry, winning three of the last four meetings, but they have also held the Sooners touchdown-less over the last two seasons. In fact, since Venables took over in Norman, Texas has outscored Oklahoma 136-43.
Texas-OU record since Brent Venables took over
- 2022: 49-0, Texas
- 2023: 30-34, Oklahoma
- 2024: 34-3, Texas
- 2025: 23-6, Texas
With Venables holding the reins, the Sooners were only able to find the end zone in one Red River Rivalry, barely defeating the Longhorns in 2023. In the other three matchups between the rivals, Oklahoma has averaged 3.0 points per game.
Even beyond the Red River Rivalry, Venables hasn't exactly done anything all that noteworthy. Yes, he took OU to the College Football Playoff last season, but the Sooners got curb-stomped... at home... by the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first round, even after holding a 17-0 lead.
Oklahoma Sooners' record since Brent Venables took over
As a matter of fact, the Sooners have never won a postseason game during Venables' tenure.
- 2022: 6-7 overall (3-6 Big 12), loss to FSU in Cheez-It Bowl
- 2023: 7-2 overall (7-2 Big 12), loss to Arizona in Alamo Bowl
- 2024: 6-7 overall (2-6 SEC), loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl
- 2025: 10-3 overall (6-2 SEC), loss to Alabama in CFP first round
Simply put, the contract extension came way too soon for Venables, if he was ever going to earn one down the line anyway. A 29-19 overall record and an 0-4 record in the postseason aren't good enough for a Power Conference head coach. The Horns can admit that, even about an Oklahoma head coach.
For now, Texas can celebrate the fact that the Sooners are stuck with a head coach who simply can't figure out how to beat the Longhorns. Meanwhile, Oklahoma may need to start figuring out a contingency plan.
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