Brent Venables explains why Oklahoma will take a Rolls-Royce approach to recruiting

Every head coach has a first time at the helm of a program, but not every head coach has that experience at one of the most storied college football programs in the nation. 

On Monday, former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables was introduced as the next head football coach at Oklahoma, and he used his first press conference to shine a light on one of the most difficult, and increasingly competitive, aspects of college football: recruiting. 

Venables’ perspective can be summarized in the following way: if you don’t seem like you want to come to Norman for the right reasons, you’re not coming to Norman at all. 

“If it’s somebody that’s not a team guy, no matter what his talent, that’s not us,” Veneables said of his recruiting philosophy. “We’re moving on. You don’t need that. You recruit your problems.”

Venables touched on the current mentality in college football, one which he called a “sooner rather than later” approach. For example, it is no longer shocking to see a 15 year old (or even a middle schooler) commit to play for one of the nation’s top programs. In Venables’ opinion, that hastiness devalues an offer. 

“When you put your name on (an offer) as a program and an organization, then you’re saying ‘This guy’s got it. All of it,’” he added, acknowledging young teenagers often do not understand the value of the scholarship, so how can the program understand everything about them?

On Venables list of intangibles required to land a spot on his roster? Strong character, maturity and a team-first mentality.

Sooners to avoid some typical recruiting avenues

Additionally, Venables pledged to avoid the massive recruiting opportunities at large camps scattered across the country’s biggest cities, instead citing he would place a priority on recruits willing to take the time to come see Norman.

“If you’re not gonna come to our campus and see us (at an) Oklahoma camp on our campus, then you’re not coming here for three or four years anyway if it’s too much of an inconvenience,” Venables said. “It’s kinda like Rolls-Royce. You don’t see Rolls-Royce commercials ever. Ever. Do you?”

In other words, the program should speak for itself.

“Oklahoma and its rich history, tradition and success, takes a back seat to nobody,” Venables said. “So we shouldn’t have to go across the country to the mega camps where there’s 600 kids and 30 colleges, where you really can’t do a good evaluation to get to know them anyway. We don’t need to do that.”

The perspective sounds fantastic in practice, but Venables certainly has his work cut out for him on the recruiting front after a dismal 10 days for the program. 

Oklahoma was in great shape recruiting-wise prior to former head coach Lincoln Riley’s departure. The program subsequently saw double-digit losses to the transfer portal or in the form of decommitments. The Sooners are currently ranked No. 12 in the On3 2022 Consensus Recruiting Rankings. Their most notable loss was 2023 quarterback commitment Malachi Nelson. The California native decommitted from Oklahoma following Riley’s decision, and he committed to USC on Nov. 30.