Brent Venables addresses Ben Arbuckle’s future as a head coach

The next step for any coordinator in football is to become a head coach. Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle may be the next to make that leap.

With rumors swirling that Arbuckle could be up for promotion elsewhere this offseason, Sooners head coach Brent Venables addressed his OC’s potential. He also gave him a piece of advice, from one coach to another.

“I tell it to my colleagues as they look at opportunities to grow and elevate in the profession — when you have what you value, don’t screw it up,” Venables said. “The only thing I would say is, when you find somewhere that has the resources and the opportunity to win at the highest level, year in and year out, there’s a lot of fulfillment in that. … I’ve always said, man, wait till the job that comes up that you absolutely love, that’s an easy, passionate sell for you. That’s just me, though.”

When Arbuckle was hired as Oklahoma’s OC, Venables admitted the 30-year-old coach was inexperienced. However, he looked at the quality of his work rather than the amount of jobs he’s held.

In that time, Arbuckle has coached high-profile talent at both Western Kentucky and Washington State. Now, the same can be said about his time with the Sooners.

“He’s a winner — everything that I’ve bragged on him in the past,” Venables said. “He’s got maturity beyond his years, and he’s got a great toughness to him. He’s gotten very relational, and he’s passionate about winning.”

Power Four schools such as Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State and UCLA have all fired their head coaches so far this season. He’s never had a head-coaching gig in his young career, so perhaps he could try to do more with less with a Group of Five job. Whatever his next step is remains to be seen.

For now, Arbuckle addressed these rumors. The OU OC let Sooners fans rest assured knowing he isn’t thinking about moving on from Norman — just yet.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m flattered that someone would say that about me,” Arbuckle said earlier this week. “But that — none of that stuff registers in n my head at all. I mean, I have a responsibility to this university and to these kids. So I haven’t even thought about if I would be ready to be a head coach, or I’m not seeking anything either.” 

For now, Arbuckle and Oklahoma are gearing up for Kent State on Saturday coming off a bye week. Backup QB Michael Hawkins Jr. will be under center as star John Mateer recovers from surgery on his throwing hand.