Brent Venables breaks down how Jaren Kanak landed at Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners added four-star linebacker Jaren Kanak to the roster last month but the Kansas native was almost a Clemson Tiger instead.

New Sooners head coach Brent Venables was prepared to let the talented athlete stick with Dabo Swinney to stay true to his own word. He made a pledge not to recruit his former Clemson prospects when he left for Norman, and that’s what he told Kanak when he suggested flipping to OU in December.

“I told him I didn’t have a spot for him if he was going to decommit,” Venables said during his Signing Day press conference. “I just feel strongly about trying to do things the right way, from a loyalty and ethical standpoint.”

Kanak committed to Clemson on July 30 but failed to sign with the Tigers during the early signing period. After gaining Swinney’s blessing, he quietly enrolled at the University of Oklahoma instead.

“Coach Swinney, from a timing standpoint, just wanted to make sure there wasn’t a lot of drama surrounding the early signing day,” Venables said. “So I think (Kanak) just agreed that he would sit back (before announcing).”

The news of Kanak’s enrollment broke on Dec. 21 when a reporter noticed his name in the OU student database.

As the No. 153-ranked prospect in the nation, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker helped boost Brent Venables’ first Sooners class up to No. 8 in the country.

Kanak always wanted to go to Oklahoma

Despite committing to Clemson and Dabo Swinney, Jaren Kanak always had an interest in Oklahoma. The program is much closer to home for the linebacker and the addition of Brent Venables completely changed his perspective.

“Oklahoma had been a favorite from the start,” Kanak told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “The relationship and bond I had build with coach Venables throughout the recruiting process was one of the major pulling factors in my decision to Clemson. So, when he went to Oklahoma it really put everything into perspective and caused me to rethink my decision. After a ton of thoughts and prayers for clarity, it just felt right.”