UPDATED 1/13 @ 5:15 p.m. ET: The hiring of Mike Stoops back to Oklahoma has been made official, per the school’s athletic site. Stoops, as expected, will replace defensive backs coach Willie Martinez. Nothing really surprising there, but it is interesting to see that Stoops will “also serve as co-defensive coordinator with Brent Venables.”
Venables has been connected to several jobs, including West Virginia and Clemson, in the past 24 hours. In a press conference today, coach Dabo Swinney said he had contacted Venables to replace Kevin Steele, who, um, “won’t return” to the Tigers.
Of course, until there’s any official word, the chance of Venables moving on to another job remains very much a possibility, but Oklahoma’s site makes it seem as though he will stay.
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The rumors that seemed to carry on for months have finally come to fruition: former Arizona coach Mike Stoops is back at Oklahoma with his brother, Bob Stoops.
The Sooners coach confirmed the hire to the Tulsa World‘s Dave Sittler in a text message today, although reports of a Stoops reunion began at the end of last month. Stoops will replace defensive backs coach Willie Martinez, the Oklahoma coach confirmed. Stoops added that Martinez has multiple offers at other programs.
Travis Haney of The Oklahoman reports that Stoops is giving Martinez every chance he can to find another job as his brother comes on to the coaching staff.
Additionally, reports are surfacing about the future of current defensive coordinator Brent Venables. According to Sittler, Venables has an offer from new Big 12 member (barring legal issues) West Virginia to be the defensive coordinator. Word broke late last night that the Mountaineers had hired Oklahoma State safeties coach Joe DeForest, possibly as the team’s new defensive coordinator. The two, provided Venables joined Dana Holgorsen‘s staff, could share that title.
Stoops and Venables were co-defensive coordinators with the Sooners from 1999-2003, and when Stoops left for Arizona for the 2004 season, Venables worked briefly alongside then-Sooners assistant Bo Pelini until Pelini left for LSU.
Venables has been the associate head coach and sole defensive coordinator since, but it doesn’t appear sharing the title again with Stoops will be a problem.
Sittler also tweets that Bob Stoops is fighting to keep Venables with the Sooners, and that a decision could come later today.