Oklahoma’s rocky start in 2026 has put Brent Venables back under the microscope, and the financial side of any possible coaching change is steep.
The Sooners are 2-2 entering a Week 6 matchup with Texas, with losses already on the ledger against Michigan and Georgia. That comes one season after Oklahoma reached the College Football Playoff in 2025, a reminder of how quickly the conversation around the program has shifted.
Venables is now in his fifth season in Norman, and his resume at Oklahoma has been uneven: two losing seasons, plus two 10-win years in 2023 and last season. Even with the questions building, the contract he just signed makes any decision expensive.
In August 2026, Venables agreed to a new six-year deal that runs through the 2031 season. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the agreement adds two years to his previous contract and raises his annual salary to $10.5 million, which would place him among the Top-10 highest-paid coaches in the country based on On3Sports’ most recent salary list.
The extension also arrived shortly after Oklahoma hired a new athletic director, Roger Denny, to replace longtime Sooners AD Joe Castiglione.
"Coach Venables is elite at building culture - not just in the locker room, but throughout the entire program," Denny said of the Oklahoma head coach in a news release of the extension. Our players are drawn to him.
They trust him, they believe in him and he has a unique ability to connect with young men and bring out the best in them. What I hope this extension says to our players is that in an environment that changes every day, we're investing in stability for our program.
Amidst the disruption of college sports, Oklahoma will be a place where student-athletes will find consistency."
Last season, Venables guided Oklahoma to its first CFP berth since 2019, but the Sooners lost 23-21 to Alabama at home.
The buyout picture is just as daunting. The exact number is not clear, but using Venables’ current $10.5 million salary and the five years left on the deal, the estimate lands between $55 million and $60 million. Before the extension, his buyout was already listed at $26.2 million.
Venables is 34-22 overall at Oklahoma. His first season in 2022 ended at 6-7, he followed with a 10-3 campaign in 2023 that ended with a loss to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl, and Oklahoma went 6-6 last season before slipping to 6-7 with a loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Across his first four seasons with the Sooners, Venables is 0-4 in bowl games and College Football Playoff games. With Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Florida, Ole Miss and Missouri still on the schedule, Oklahoma’s path to even reaching a bowl game this season looks thin.
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Oklahomas Upset Hopes Rest On One Brutal Red River Reality
Oklahoma heads into the Red River showdown with Texas carrying the kind of offensive profile that can make even a strong defense feel like it's living on a razor's edge. John Mateer's turnovers have been a recurring issue, and the Sooners' rushing attack has not given him much relief, leaving the offense too dependent on a cleaner passing day than it's shown it can always deliver. Against the top-ranked Longhorns, that kind of inconsistency looms especially large.
The good news for Oklahoma is that the defense has been good enough to keep the Sooners in games and give them a fighting chance if the offense can simply avoid self-inflicted mistakes. The question is whether that support holds up against a Texas team that can punish slow starts and wasted possessions, especially if player availability tilts the matchup further in either direction. For Oklahoma, the path to an upset is there in theory, but it depends on overcoming one brutal reality it has struggled with all season. [Read more 🡒]