Oklahoma Makes $10M Announcement for Brent Venables’ Staff Amid NCAA EligibilityDispute
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For Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners, a 10-win season was just the beginning. The Sooners are locked, loaded, and ready to reload 2026 as Venables’ program is opening its fortune reserve wide in revamping the coaching roster, with Oklahoma dropping $10 million on the overhaul.
On3 Sports’ analyst George Stoia III released a list of new contracts for Oklahoma assistants following the January 30th morning Board of Regents meeting. It mounts up to around $10 million as the Sooners look pumped up for the 2026 season.
Venables made the call on January 15 to add Jason Witten to the staff. He hired the ex-Dallas Cowboy and Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist to replace Joe Jon Finley, the Sooners’ tight ends coach since 2021. According to reports, he has sealed an offer worth $675k with Oklahoma.
The investment secured Oklahoma’s top assistants, with co-DC Todd Bates receiving a raise to $1.15 million, while OL coach Bill Bedenbaugh ($1.2M) and DE coach Miguel Chavis ($1M) also landed lucrative deals. Further solidifying the staff, former analysts John Kuceyeski ($250k) and Kevin Wilson ($500k) were promoted, and several other coaches received extensions or raises
Wide receivers coach Emmett Jones didn’t get a raise, but he did earn security. The program extended his contract through 2028, with a planned salary of $675,000.
After just one season working with Venables’ team, Nate Dreiling could secure a deal that will keep him on board through 2028 with an annual salary of $635,000. Brandon Hall also received a raise, now earning $785,000 each year through 2028. Meanwhile, Jay Valai stands out a bit. His contract is also at $785,000 but runs through 2027, which means he’s the only position coach without an extension for 2028.
It was a big day in Norman. The Board of Regents approved Roger Denny’s four-year, $5 million contract as Oklahoma’s next athletic director. The longtime athletic director, Joe Castiglione, was sent off with two standing ovations.
Well, Venables and Oklahoma are not alone in the spending spree when it comes to coaches. Charlie Weis Jr., out of Ole Miss and joining Lane Kiffin at LSU, has cracked a $2.5 million per year deal through 2028.
While Venables and the Sooners remain focused on revamping the roster, they fought hard for one of their players’ eligibility.
Eligibility uncertainty looms as NCAA stalls decision affecting Venables’ program
Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke lost a fourth NCAA year after playing three games as a walk-on for Ohio State’s lacrosse team. A Tulsa native and high school two-sport star, he briefly joined Ohio State in 2021, playing three games before transferring to Oklahoma. There, he redshirted and switched from lacrosse to football.
“UPDATE @OU_Football fans: The NCAA has denied Owen Heinecke’s petition for another year at OU,” reported Oklahoma General Manager Jim Nagy. “There will be an appeal. If that appeal is denied, one lucky NFL team is going to get a stud two-contract player and an even better human being. Love everything you’re about, Owen.”
Heinecke’s potential departure would be a significant blow to the Sooners’ linebacker depth, following the departures of Kendal Daniels, Sammy Omosigho, and Kobie McKinzie.
Oklahoma’s luck in the transfer portal was not much better, as it added only 15 players and lost 27. But Brent Venables strengthened the program’s pillars by securing the coaching roster.
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