OU football coach Brent Venables agrees to two-year contract extension
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NORMAN — Fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance, Oklahoma football has locked up its head coach.
The Sooners and coach Brent Venables have agreed to a new two-year contract extension, the program announced Thursday. The deal will keep Venables in Norman through the 2031 season.
"Coach Venables is elite at building culture — not just in the locker room, but throughout the entire program," athletic director Roger Denny said in a statement. "I believe strongly in Coach Venables, in the culture he has built and in the structure we have in place around our football program."
Coach Venables has agreed to a contract extension through the 2031 season.
» https://t.co/u21BxukzqRpic.twitter.com/2UMlbzUSV6
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 20, 2026
Venables, 55, is entering his fifth season as Oklahoma's head coach. He led the Sooners to their first CFP appearance since 2019 last season, when OU earned the No. 8 seed and hosted a first-round game.
The new deal will average $10.5 million annually, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. With the new contract, Venables' salary now ranks 10th in the country and sixth in the SEC.
The Sooners also won 10 regular-season games for the second time under Venables in 2025. OU enters this season ranked No. 9 in the preseason coaches poll and No. 10 in the AP poll.
"My family and I love Oklahoma," Venables said in a statement. "This is our home, and we are deeply grateful for the way the Oklahoma family has embraced and supported us.”
A former longtime defensive coordinator at OU and Clemson, Venables has coached in eight national championship games between his time at the two schools, winning titles with the Sooners in 2000 and Tigers in 2016 and 2018.
The OU Board of Regents will next meet Sept. 15-16 to finalize the new deal.
This article will be updated.
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football coach Brent Venables agrees to two-year contract extension
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