Brent Venables talks Jeff Lebby hiring process, role in Baylor scandal

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables is aware of Jeff Lebby’s past. The new Sooners offensive coordinator, Lebby came under fire in 2015 for his role in the Baylor football scandal.

The son-in-law of then-Bears coach Art Briles, Lebby was one of the coaches accused of turning a blind eye to sexual assault by Baylor players. He left the school in 2017 to become the offensive coordinator for NAIA school Southeastern.

Asked in his National Signing Day press conference whether the scandal came up during Jeff Lebby’s hiring, Brent Venables said the university did its part to ensure they were hiring a man of high character.

“There was a vetting process that was done by our administration,” Venables said. “A lot of interviews. Obviously, I’ve known Jeff a very long time. There are some things that I was aware of for a long time. It’s not like the last time I spoke to him is when he was a player and I was a coach at Oklahoma. I felt very good after the vetting process that we were getting somebody of high integrity and morals that has been about the right stuff. The people where he’s worked have nothing but incredible things to say about him. So I had a great peace about him.”

Lebby was a student assistant for the Sooners from 2002-06 when Brent Venables was the defensive coordinator on Bob Stoops’ staff. It was in Norman that he would meet Josh Heupel, who many years later hired him as UCF’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. Lebby left the Knights in 2020 after two seasons to join Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss.

The Rebels finished sixth in the country and first in the SEC in total offense this past season with 492.4 yards per game. Matt Corral took the nation by storm to finish as one of the top quarterback prospects heading into the 2020 NFL draft. With his offense’s success this past season, Lebby quickly built a name for himself as one of the top young coordinators in college football.

Venables was hired in December shortly after Sooners coach Lincoln Riley left for USC. He announced Lebby as his offensive coordinator less than a week later. The two will hope to maintain a high-powered offense that has finished first in the Big 12 in each of the past five seasons. Venables’ expertise is in defense, so hiring a great offensive mind was pivotal to the success of his program.

Oklahoma is set to open the 2022 season on Sept. 3 against the UTEP Miners.