After a couple of weeks worth of speculation and more than one itchy reporting trigger finger, Brent Venables is officially a member of Dabo Swinney‘s coaching staff.
In a press release, Clemson announced that Venables has been hired as the Tigers defensive coordinator. Venables has spent the past 13 seasons at Oklahoma, the first five as co-coordinator and the last eight as the lone defensive boss.
The hiring of Mike Stoops, however, prompted Venables to seek employment elsewhere.
“We are getting one of the top coordinators in the nation,” said Swinney in a statement. “I appreciate the commitment from the Clemson administration. This hire shows that everyone at Clemson wants us to be the best we can possibly be.
“Coach Venables has the experience of coaching in four National Championship games. He has had to compete against the best offenses in the nation over a long period of time. His resume speaks for itself, but it is certainly impressive that he has coached in eight BCS Bowls, four National Championship games and been a part of seven Big 12 Conference Championship coaching staffs.
“He is a great fit for this job. In addition to his experience as a coordinator, he has coached the linebackers position for 16 years and produced two Butkus Award winners and two others who were finalists. I am excited to see his impact on our players and can’t wait for the beginning of spring practice.”
Venables is expected to sign a multi-year deal that’s in the range of $800,000 annually. Combine that total with the new contract that made offensive coordinator Chad Morris the highest-paid assistant in the country, and the Tigers will pay out roughly $2.1 million for their two coordinators in 2012. For what it’s worth, Swinney made roughly $1.8 million in 2011.
A 4:30 ET press conference has been scheduled to officially introduce Venables.