Todd Bates has no plans to leave Norman anytime soon, and the Oklahoma defensive tackles coach made that much clear Tuesday.
Since arriving on OU’s staff in 2022, Bates has been part of a defense that has gotten better every season. At 43, he could draw plenty of interest down the road as a defensive coordinator or even a head coach. For now, though, his attention stays locked on Oklahoma.
“I believe in growing where you’re planted,” Bates said on Tuesday. “I believe that (it’s) not your time, (it’s) God’s time and you’ll know when that’s right because the right opportunity will come around for you.”
Bates’ path to Norman has been a long one. He played at Alabama from 2001 to 2004, spent a brief time in the NFL, then coached at the high school and small-college level until Clemson hired him in 2017 as defensive line coach.
That stop helped put him on the national radar. Working alongside former Tigers defensive coordinator and current OU coach Brent Venables, Bates was part of a Clemson run in which the Tigers led the country in sacks and tackles for loss during his five seasons there. He also established himself as one of the sport’s better recruiters and helped Clemson win the 2018 national championship.
The results have followed him to Oklahoma. In each of his first four seasons in Norman, the Sooners finished inside the top 15 nationally in tackles for loss. Last year, OU led college football in sacks per game at 3.5 and tackles for loss per game at 9.4.
Even with Oklahoma sitting at 3-3, Bates’ group has held up its end. The Sooners rank second nationally in total defense at 260.7 yards allowed per game and have already produced 18 sacks.
Bates said his time working with Venables has helped him keep growing as a coach. He pointed to the access he gets around the players and the chance to influence more than just his own position room.
“I have been learning a lot. Coach Venables gives me a lot of opportunity to be around the players,” Bates said. “I just pour into the guys - not just my position - and try to make an impact that way and grow in the role that I have.”
He said he does have “ambitions” for a bigger job in the future. But right now, he says he is focused on helping Oklahoma’s defensive tackle room keep improving and staying on the same path he believes has guided him all along.
“If you do well with what you have, man, the Lord will bless you with more,” Bates said. “And that’s what I have been believing my whole life, and that is how I attack every day.”
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Former Sooners Enter 2026-27 With Very Different Stakes
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Buddy Hields path has been less stable, with a series of trades eventually landing him with the Chicago Bulls, and Jeremiah Fears enters the season with a chance to take a major step forward as a starter. For Oklahoma fans, it is a rare snapshot of four former Sooners in very different phases of NBA life, from established centerpiece to fresh opportunity, with each one carrying a different kind of pressure into the year ahead. [Read more 🡒]