Paul Finebaum describes Brent Venables as being greatly undervalued.
SEC media days have concluded for the Oklahoma Sooners, marking their inaugural participation in media days within their new conference. Brent Venables and his team had a productive week in Dallas, demonstrating their readiness to embrace the challenges posed by the SEC.
One of the influential figures in the SEC, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, has consistently praised OU and Venables since their entry into the conference. Finebaum, renowned for his college football analysis on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” reiterated his admiration for Venables during Friday’s broadcast, prompted by a caller’s positive remarks about the coach and the Sooners.
“I agree,” Finebaum affirmed. “I’ve spent time with Coach Venables recently in Norman and elsewhere. In my opinion, he is underrated. If you remove Brent Venables from Clemson, Dabo Swinney may not have secured two national titles and six playoff appearances.”
Finebaum’s perspective on Venables at Oklahoma contrasts sharply with his past views on the former head coach in Norman. Venables’ tenure at Clemson and his earlier stint at Oklahoma were pivotal factors in his hiring as OU’s head coach in December 2021. At Clemson, Venables played a crucial role in building the program alongside Dabo Swinney, leading the Tigers to national prominence with championships in 2016 and 2018.
During Venables’ tenure, Clemson consistently fielded dominant defenses, contributing to six consecutive College Football Playoff appearances from 2015 to 2020. His departure from Clemson was seen as a significant loss for the program, underscoring Finebaum’s belief that Venables’ influence was instrumental in Clemson’s success.
Finebaum’s recent endorsements add to a week of positive assessments from respected voices regarding the Sooners and Venables’ direction of the program. Despite this praise, media predictions place Oklahoma eighth in their preseason SEC poll. Venables stands to earn further acclaim if he can exceed expectations and guide Oklahoma to the Playoff in their inaugural SEC season.
