NORMAN - Brent Venables knows the next hire matters.
After firing Ben Arbuckle on Monday, the Oklahoma coach is now searching for his fourth full-time offensive coordinator in six years, and he made clear Tuesday that getting this one right is non-negotiable.
“Obviously we did not make the improvement,” Venables said at his press conference. “We played inconsistently.
We led the world in the turnover margin on the wrong side of it. Gotta have better, more consistent quarterback play.
Those are reasons why maybe you don’t do as well on offense.”
Venables pointed to the first offensive coordinator he hired as OU head coach, Jeff Lebby, as a model for what he wants the program to find again. Lebby was excellent for two years in Norman and is now the head coach at Mississippi State.
Since then, Venables has changed coordinators twice. Seth Littrell was fired during the 2024 season after just eight games as the play caller, and Arbuckle is now gone after 21 games calling the shots.
Venables said he is moving toward being the second coach in program history to have three losing seasons during his tenure. That, he said, is why the next hire has to nail the job.
“And yeah, obviously you want to get it right every time. Every coach, every personnel staff member, every player you bring in, you want to get it right,” Venables said.
“There’s not a different standard for any of those positions. They’re all critical.
Every role that we have on our football team, both our staff and our locker room, are incredibly important.”
Jason Witten has been promoted to interim offensive coordinator for the rest of the season, and Venables said there is “nothing’s off the table” when it comes to whether Witten could keep the job beyond this year.
It is more likely, though, that Oklahoma will look outside the program for a permanent replacement. Venables said he wants an offensive coordinator who can bring pressure, stay balanced, run the ball and throw it efficiently.
“I like to put pressure on people, be explosive, have balance, run the ball when we have to, throw the ball when we have to, be efficient in all the efficiency spaces,” Venables said. “Head the turnover margin is incredibly important to me.
That’s what wins for you, is that turnover margin being on the plus-side of it. So at some point in time, we’ll see where we are at the end of the season.”
He added that the standard in every part of the program is the same.
“There’s not a different standard for any of those positions. They’re all critical. Every role that we have on our football team, both our staff and our locker room, are incredibly important.”
Venables also said he believes Witten is ready for the temporary role. Witten has been promoted to interim offensive coordinator after serving as the team’s tight ends coach, and Venables said he has been impressed by how he has handled the opportunity.
“Jeff was fantastic,” Venables said. “Jeff did a great job for two years, top 10 in the country in both years he was offensive coordinator.
Took a head coaching job and obviously did not work out great for us in ‘24. Ben made us better in ‘25.
Went to the playoffs and some great things. There’s regression.
That’s why we made a change.”
Now the focus shifts to what comes next, and Venables made it clear he is not interested in rushing the process. He said he wants the eventual hire to help Oklahoma become more efficient in every phase of the offense, and he stressed the importance of the turnover battle and quarterback play in getting there.
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