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Oklahoma

Brent Venables to take $1 million pay cut in 2025

headshotby: George Stoia08/29/25GeorgeStoia
brent venables (1)
SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

OU coach Brent Venables will take a $1 million pay cut in 2025, according to a report by USA Today. SoonerScoop can confirm the report.

Venables was set to make $8.55 million this year. Now, he will make $7.55 million. According to the report, this reduction was “initiated by Coach Venables as a one-time give-back to contribute to the department’s revenue-sharing efforts,” an Oklahoma athletics department spokesman told USA Today.

“It really shows a lot of leadership on Brent’s part,” OU athletics director Joe Castiglione told SoonerScoop. “He came forward with the idea, knowing there were needs for our program. He wanted to help. He recognized the need to retain players already on our roster and those we needed to recruit, and he wanted to help participate in the revenue-sharing formula going forward.”

His contract will remain the same following the 2025 season, as he’s set to make $8.65 million in 2026 and 2027, as well as $8.75 million in 2028 and $8.85 million in 2029. Those amounts are fully guaranteed if Venables were to be fired without cause following this season.

This reduction in pay comes following a 6-7 season in which Venables received a new contract the summer before the 2024 season, worth $51.6 million and keeping him in Norman until 2029.

Taking a salary reduction is not uncommon in college football. Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy also recentlt took a $1 million pay cut. And LSU’s Brian Kelly publicly announced last year that he would be donating $1 million of his salary toward NIL.

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