ESPN just reported during the game that talk is very active right now where Mike Stoops will come back and be Co-Defensive Coordinator again with Brent. Excited by this news and should see the defense get updated a bit.

Nepotism 101. Sad

Not sure he will be the savior everyone expects but don't see how this hurts anything for sure

Nepotism 101. Sad

It is not nepotism if the relative is the best candidate for the job. If Bob Stoops is guilty of anything it is that he has a problem firing people.

wil this give the coaching staff co-coordinators at both offense and defense, plus their assistants? Is that common among the higher end programs?

It is not nepotism if the relative is the best candidate for the job. If Bob Stoops is guilty of anything it is that he has a problem firing people.

Your opinion. What happened to ALL those schools looking at MS according to BS soon after his brother was fired? Like I said my opinion is that this is a prime example of family favoritism just like here in Washington with Mike and kyle Shannahan of the Redskins and the Ryan family of the NFL John Thompson and John Thompson III of Georgetown etc etc.

He seemed like the perfect match for Mike Leach's new adventure...

It is not nepotism if the relative is the best candidate for the job. If Bob Stoops is guilty of anything it is that he has a problem firing people.Which Bob will have to do to make room for Mike. NCAA only allows so many coaches. Who will Bob fire?

Which Bob will have to do to make room for Mike. NCAA only allows so many coaches. Who will Bob fire?

I've heard speculation that Bobby Jack Wright might be kicked upstairs or moved to a position other than coach.

I've heard speculation that Bobby Jack Wright might be kicked upstairs or moved to a position other than coach.

This^ + there is talk about coaches leaving for other positions.

Not to derail too far from the original subject, what is everyone's thought on Josh's first year as play caller and co-OC? Felt a little underwhelmed with a lot of the play calling, but like the introduction of Bell.

Not to derail too far from the original subject, what is everyone's thought on Josh's first year as play caller and co-OC? Felt a little underwhelmed with a lot of the play calling, but like the introduction of Bell.

I thought it was a mixed bag. Some innovation and some things were too predictable.

According to ESPN it’s now official.
With Mike now back if nothing else OU will start recruiting better defensive players.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7451052/mike-stoops-become-oklahoma-sooners-co-defensive-coordinator-sources-say

Not much there...


Former Arizona coach Mike Stoops will join the Oklahoma staff as co-defensive coordinator, a move that will be announced as soon as Wednesday, sources said.

Willie Martinez, an assistant who coached the defensive backs, is leaving the staff

Joe Schad covers college football for ESPN.

Not to derail too far from the original subject, what is everyone's thought on Josh's first year as play caller and co-OC? Felt a little underwhelmed with a lot of the play calling, but like the introduction of Bell.

I think at times he was clearly overwhelmed, and as can often be the case with a bright, young person who has a great deal of natural insights, he overthought things too much. The offensive gameplan against OSU made absolutely no sense IMHO. My other thought is that perhaps some of the time a few of the offensive sets had too many option routes that, in turn, required too many reads by WR's and the QB, which gives lots of opportunities for what look like badly missed plays. Even during the rout of Texas, there was a spell in the mid-2nd quarter where the offense really sputtered (although the game was out of hand by then and it didn't really matter), where it was obvious a receiver was running one route, but Jones was throwing another. Obviously option routes are all part of the game, but it made me wonder if there might have been just a few too *many* sets that maybe were just on the edge of making the offense too fragile but for a wrong read.

I honestly wonder if the Belldozer was Josh's creation. I ask that because I believe Wilson built the "diamond" set we ran out of so effectively the latter half of 2010, but abandoned completely this year. I recall Heupel saying that "Demarco Murray made the diamond work," and that was the rationale for abandoning it, but I can't believe Whaley couldn't have been run at Murray's spot and that offense tried. My trick knee is telling me the run-option out of that formation put it in a lower priority for Heupel's philosophy. That's why I wonder if the Belldozer was really Norvell's creation, because you can't GET any more smash-mouth than that. It showed that this OL can, in fact, block the run. It was amazing if for no other reason than to see defenses entirely unprepared for it.

I don't know if OU will have the weapons at WR next year to run the high-tempo, high-octane, high-finesse offense next year. I think Jones needs to hang out with Blake Bell over the summer and absorb about 25% of the incredible attitude Bell *clearly* brings to the offense when he's out there. Jones just isn't a fiery guy, and that's no knock on him - that's just who he is. But a little more fire would help him, and I think translate positively to the rest of the offense next year. He has to be more of a leader in '12 no matter what, IMHO.

Rumor is that Mark Mangino might be returning to OU along with Mike Stoops. Might be nice to have the original Stoops OU fam back together again. You have to admit the Sooners were really good in those early Stoops years.

He will need to get rid of another coach on offense then. Mike Stoops can't be announced until the one defensive coach leaves.

I've heard that before and don't believe it for a minute.

http://newsok.com/brent-venables-best-career-move-might-be-leaving-sooners/article/3639837

http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/34342273

It appears things might be changed. Venables is being targeted by WVU and Clemson. So it might be him leaving instead of the Defensive Backs coach to open up a spot for Mike Stoops.

Mike Stoops can't be announced until the one defensive coach leaves.

Willie Martinez (Defensive Backs) was let go to make way for Mike Stoops. It was made official yesterday.

I can see how this its a no win situation for Venables, but going to the same position at WVa doesn't make sense. He won't be in line for the HC position, its not nearly as good a program as Oklahoma, far fewer resources, etc. Clemson makes more sense, winnable conference, but hard to see a path to the Hc there. Things need to settle out quickly with the end of the dead period approaching....

It is sounding like it is Bob's stance to never fire a coach unless it is warranted that is causing some issues here. I would imagine Venables would be better off staying here with the family and worked with Mike again. Like you said Dave, they need to get this done quick...whatever they are doing.

Willie Martinez (Defensive Backs) was let go to make way for Mike Stoops. It was made official yesterday.

Didn't see anything in the press about it yet.

Didn't see anything in the press about it yet.

Still not official, but the folks at NewsOK.com are treating it as all but done.

http://blog.newsok.com/ou/2012/01/11/report-mike-stoops-in-willie-martinez-out-at-ou/

Yeah I read that story. Just seems that Stoops is trying to do everything to find the guy a job, but none have moved yet.

Yeah I read that story. Just seems that Stoops is trying to do everything to find the guy a job, but none have moved yet.

Official now:

http://blog.newsok.com/ou/2012/01/13/breaking-ou-announces-mike-stoops-hiring-martinezs-departure/

OU has made it official ....Stoops is dc with Venables... Martinez has resigned....

Bob says as of this moment Brent is out recruiting with Mike.
Mike is a great recruiter and will help make OU better

Unlikely that Mangino will return to Stoops' staff politically. Mangino left under very questionable circumstances at KU, given his motivational tactics and other issues arising from his behavior at KU, and that IMHO makes it politically all-but impossible for him to return to OU. Could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.

I hope the OU fan base in general understands that Mike's return, while a great boost, isn't a magic bullet that will cure all of OU's defensive issues. We'll just have to see how things work out.

sad day, family over fairness. All the best Mr. Martinez

DC - We probably need to see how the season plays out. If OU performs better on defense, then was it really a bad call? If OU does well, I would say no.

Mods thanks for the merge. :)

sad day, family over fairness. All the best Mr. Martinez

How is it unfair? OU is bringing back an extremely successful coach and getting rid of an extremely unsuccessful coach. Under Martinez's guidance OU's secondary was the worst it has been EVER. The defenses under Mike Stoops regularly were in the top 10 nationally. If you completely fail at your job would you be able to keep it? What is unfair about it?

How is it unfair? OU is bringing back an extremely successful coach and getting rid of an extremely unsuccessful coach. Under Martinez's guidance OU's secondary was the worst it has been EVER. The defenses under Mike Stoops regularly were in the top 10 nationally. If you completely fail at your job would you be able to keep it? What is unfair about it?

Yes, the defense has left much to be desired but it has been lackluster for a couple of years now and really so has the offense (vanilla, predictable, gimmicky) >You tell me the OC Heuple is doing a good job? I am all for firing of coaches or anyone else who doesn't perform, but, this just seems to be unfair to Mr. Martinez. Where were ALL those job opportunities MS supposedly had? There are alot of places OU needs to improve, but to bring back the head coaches brother just seems more of a move based on nepotism versus the real best interest of the program. We shall see.

Yes, the defense has left much to be desired but it has been lackluster for a couple of years now and really so has the offense (vanilla, predictable, gimmicky) >You tell me the OC Heuple is doing a good job? I am all for firing of coaches or anyone else who doesn't perform, but, this just seems to be unfair to Mr. Martinez. Where were ALL those job opportunities MS supposedly had? There are alot of places OU needs to improve, but to bring back the head coaches brother just seems more of a move based on nepotism versus the real best interest of the program. We shall see.

Sorry, but you've lost all credibility at this point. #1: OU's offense was #5 in the country out of 117 teams this season. So, you don't know what you're talking about there. #2: Our secondary was BY FAR the biggest problem on the team and, as I said, probably the worst it's EVER been. Martinez made a ton of money this season at OU. He'll be okay, but are you surprised he's having trouble finding work? He was fired from Georgia and then came to OU and his secondary was awful. Our secondary was beyond terrible in all 3 losses. And it's not just that they were bad, but looked poorly coached. Constanty out of position and clueless. Mike Stoops has a proven track record of success. It would have been a terrible decision NOT to make this change. When Josh has an offense this bad then Stoops should reconsider his job also, but 112 D-1 teams would have loved our offense this season.

I think Josh will loosen up a bit this next season...hopefully. The run game looks like it'll be one of the best. The pass game is the only big issue, so hopefully he can get that fixed. Special teams hopefully will get more attention now. Defense gave up a lot in the pass game it seemed and that is where Mike Stoops comes in. So whether it was playing favorites with family, it is probably still a solid hire. Which is good...looking at ESPN's "Way too early Top 25" for 2012...

OU early rank is #5...we will be playing:

#7 WVU (maybe)
#12 KSU
#15 TCU
#16 OSU
#21 Texas
#23 ND

Granted pre-season rankings mean jack...but still interesting to see just how tough next year will be - in conference. ND is probably overrated again (not that we can say a whole lot LOL)...but still. That is 6 top 25 teams right there. Texas Tech will probably be up there again, maybe...granted they...well we all know. Baylor I would imagine will head back down a bit. Kansas could be interesting. ISU probably won't be much. It will be interesting who they pick up in the other 2 out of conference games. Glancing around, the teams that aren't set yet...

Duke, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Memphis, Missouri, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tenn, North Texas, and Univ Louisiana Monroe. A few good names...and a few cream puffs. Of course everything is up in the air until the Big 12 settles the schedule which is reliant on the WVU/Big East lawsuit. As of now all these teams have open dates that match up with open dates at OU (easy when there are only 2 games scheduled so far).

For the best BCS hopes I would probably look at Georgia Tech and Missouri. I'm not sure Missouri would want to schedule us though if it would require playing in Norman. Georgia Tech may want a two game series. Rutgers probably wouldn't be bad either. I have a feel though we are probably going to see the schedule stuffed with Sun Belt teams instead of BCS conference teams. It would be nice to say that we are playing a 100% BCS AQ schedule this year. :-)

I think Josh will loosen up a bit this next season...hopefully. The run game looks like it'll be one of the best. The pass game is the only big issue, so hopefully he can get that fixed. Special teams hopefully will get more attention now. Defense gave up a lot in the pass game it seemed and that is where Mike Stoops comes in. So whether it was playing favorites with family, it is probably still a solid hire. Which is good...looking at ESPN's "Way too early Top 25" for 2012...

OU early rank is #5...we will be playing:

#7 WVU (maybe)
#12 KSU
#15 TCU
#16 OSU
#21 Texas
#23 ND

Granted pre-season rankings mean jack...but still interesting to see just how tough next year will be - in conference. ND is probably overrated again (not that we can say a whole lot LOL)...but still. That is 6 top 25 teams right there. Texas Tech will probably be up there again, maybe...granted they...well we all know. Baylor I would imagine will head back down a bit. Kansas could be interesting. ISU probably won't be much. It will be interesting who they pick up in the other 2 out of conference games. Glancing around, the teams that aren't set yet...

Duke, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Memphis, Missouri, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tenn, North Texas, and Univ Louisiana Monroe. A few good names...and a few cream puffs. Of course everything is up in the air until the Big 12 settles the schedule which is reliant on the WVU/Big East lawsuit. As of now all these teams have open dates that match up with open dates at OU (easy when there are only 2 games scheduled so far).

For the best BCS hopes I would probably look at Georgia Tech and Missouri. I'm not sure Missouri would want to schedule us though if it would require playing in Norman. Georgia Tech may want a two game series. Rutgers probably wouldn't be bad either. I have a feel though we are probably going to see the schedule stuffed with Sun Belt teams instead of BCS conference teams. It would be nice to say that we are playing a 100% BCS AQ schedule this year. :-)

Based on past scheduling and with Notre Dame already on the schedule it's likely they may schedule one other light weight BCS team and one non BCS team. It's very unlikely they will schedule an all BCS non conference as there are very few schools, if any, who will do that.

How is it unfair? OU is bringing back an extremely successful coach and getting rid of an extremely unsuccessful coach. Under Martinez's guidance OU's secondary was the worst it has been EVER. The defenses under Mike Stoops regularly were in the top 10 nationally. If you completely fail at your job would you be able to keep it? What is unfair about it?Could not agree more. OU's secondary has been the weakest part of the whole game the past couple of years. With that the secondary coach should be on the chopping block. And no, Josh didn't light up the offense. It was his first year. Everyone gets a break for a year or two. Marinez is an experienced coach that wasn't getting it done.

Could not agree more. OU's secondary has been the weakest part of the whole game the past couple of years. With that the secondary coach should be on the chopping block. And no, Josh didn't light up the offense. It was his first year. Everyone gets a break for a year or two. Marinez is an experienced coach that wasn't getting it done.

Once again, while I'm delighted to see M. Stoops back, please accept the cautionary note that the Big is a drastically different league than it was when he departed. It is *very* difficult to defend the more open offenses with the larger linebackers that we had in Stoops previous tenure here.

The broader issue that may suggest that Martinez bears only a portion of the blame is whether Venables defensive schemes were too complicated even if brilliant from an X's and O's standpoint. I've read a few blogs that have included contributions from former players suggesting, in a broad sense, that Venables is a smart coach, but his schemes put too much responsibility on too many players to make too many "right" reads. The key in Stoops returning from those blogs is that those very schemes are going to be changed and simplified.

On the other hand, however, is that a great coach might be able to get more from any given set of players than would an average coach, but you can't coach talent. There is some sentiment right now that the overall talent level on the OU defense has faltered at virtually all positions, and if that's the case, it will take more than Stoops' return to solve it. Not to say Martinez wasn't coaching improper technique, or something else below par (and I have absolutely no idea what that might be), but I think its smart to be wary of any notion of "magic bullet fixes" to more basic problems - see Jerry Jones, and being "one coach, one player, one (fill in the blank) from a Super Bowl" over the last ten years.

Not saying his return is a bad thing at all, but we have to be careful what constitutes realistic expectations on the field as a result. Maybe it will be great, maybe not. Only time will tell. But someone expecting an instant return to 7-point performances and complete lockdowns in 2012 solely because of Stoops' return are likely in for a disappointment.

Could not agree more. OU's secondary has been the weakest part of the whole game the past couple of years. With that the secondary coach should be on the chopping block. And no, Josh didn't light up the offense. It was his first year. Everyone gets a break for a year or two. Marinez is an experienced coach that wasn't getting it done.

Softail, yes, the secondary has been a gaping weakness, but our run game defense has been anything but stellar as well. Keep in mind that we have been weak at the DT position for a few years now. We've seen teams run quite succesfully, and often right up the middle. We have (and haven't had) a dominant DT in a few years now. Our LB's have been trained to bail out to cover mid-range routes, and offenses (see Baylor) have seen this on film - heck, even RG3 specifically said their offensive coaches gameplanned to hit OU "across the middle all night" and that's precisely what they did....

I think Josh will loosen up a bit this next season...hopefully. The run game looks like it'll be one of the best. The pass game is the only big issue, so hopefully he can get that fixed.

I'm not sure what games you guys have been watching, but here are some facts:
OU passing - #4 out of 120 D-1 teams
OU rushing - #47 out of 120 D-1 team

Our run game has been terribly inconsistent for years. I'm not sure how you could possibly come to these conclusions.

I'm not sure what games you guys have been watching, but here are some facts:
OU passing - #4 out of 120 D-1 teams
OU rushing - #47 out of 120 D-1 team

Our run game has been terribly inconsistent for years. I'm not sure how you could possibly come to these conclusions.

I'm not sure what sentence you read, but here it is again. :-P

The run game looks like it'll be one of the best.

Obviously I'm talking about next season. Whaley is very strong and exciting to watch. Hopefully he is back and in top form again. Bell brings some great new wrinkles to the run game that have been missing for a long time. If used effectively, and with a strong O Line showing promise, it very could be one of the best.

I'm not sure what sentence you read, but here it is again. :-P

The run game looks like it'll be one of the best.

Obviously I'm talking about next season. Whaley is very strong and exciting to watch. Hopefully he is back and in top form again. Bell brings some great new wrinkles to the run game that have been missing for a long time. If used effectively, and with a strong O Line showing promise, it very could be one of the best.

So, you're saying our run game will be strong based on bringing back players that were bad at running the ball this year?!? Sorry if I didn't understand your point. Our returning offensive line was terrible at run blocking last year so I'll need to see them improve before I would agree with your assessment. Our pass game is what you should feel confident about. Your optimism and pessimism seemed misplaced... Having said that, I hope our run game comes out of nowhere and is reliable next year.

So, you're saying our run game will be strong based on bringing back players that were bad at running the ball this year?!? Sorry if I didn't understand your point. Our returning offensive line was terrible at run blocking last year so I'll need to see them improve before I would agree with your assessment. Our pass game is what you should feel confident about. Your optimism and pessimism seemed misplaced... Having said that, I hope our run game comes out of nowhere and is reliable next year.

Whaley was bad? What games were you watching? :-P

The O Line definitely improved through the year...otherwise the Belldozer package never would have worked. Unless you were just automatically dismissing them and thinking Blake Bell was just doing it all on his own. :-) The pass game still put up numbers, but had troubles converting. Sure going to Bell when it is 3 yards from the Goal line was a gimme...but it started to get used in longer yardage situations because Landry became very inconsistent. Then of course the receivers struggled as well. We shouldn't be relying on just one receiver to save the day...which is what we did in 2011.

Either way, we both want OU to do well. I see hope developing in the running game and hope the short comings of the pass game that started to develop are ironed out.

Reports are increasing that Venables is heading to Clemson. He arrived back from South Carolina on Sunday. So looks like it might be Mike taking full control after all. This also means that OU has an opening on the coaching staff to allow them to bring someone else in - probably on defense.

There's an old saying that "You can't go home again." I hope the re-hiring of Mike Stoops doesn't represent an instance of this saying coming true.

I have a terrible feeling that a good chunk of the fan base thinks he represents this magic elixir that will solve all our defensive issues, but........as Coach Switzer was fond of saying, "It ain't the alignments, its the alignees..."

Reports are increasing that Venables is heading to Clemson. He arrived back from South Carolina on Sunday. So looks like it might be Mike taking full control after all. This also means that OU has an opening on the coaching staff to allow them to bring someone else in - probably on defense.

I don't know how OU is enhanced by Venables' departure. We have no way of knowing or appreciating the kind of dynamic the combination of Venables and M. Stoops brought to the table. On the other hand, if Venables still has aspirations to become a head coach, staying in a position where he was effectively demoted from DC to co-DC can't enhance his resume, and if Clemson is willing to more than double his salary, it would be hard if not impossible not to accept. I still think Venables' "dream job" would be to go back to KSU has HC when Bill Snyder (really) retires.

Supposedly....
Brent has been offered a 3 year contract for over $600,000 per year to stay at OU,,,,, per KREF

There's an old saying that "You can't go home again." I hope the re-hiring of Mike Stoops doesn't represent an instance of this saying coming true.

I have a terrible feeling that a good chunk of the fan base thinks he represents this magic elixir that will solve all our defensive issues, but........as Coach Switzer was fond of saying, "It ain't the alignments, its the alignees..."

Remember that Bon Jovi/Jennifer Nettles had a huge hit with "Who say's you can't go home?"

We all know how things can change but according to reports on KREF Brent is telling recruits that he plans on being at OU for a long time.

We all know how things can change but according to reports on KREF Brent is telling recruits that he plans on being at OU for a long time.

That's good to hear. I think that the fact so much time passed between the Clemson rumors and now with no announcement being made bode well for him staying at OU.

That's good to hear. I think that the fact so much time passed between the Clemson rumors and now with no announcement being made bode well for him staying at OU.

You would think so….. but KSU DC job just opened up and their head coach is old!

I still think Venables' "dream job" would be to go back to KSU has HC when Bill Snyder (really) retires.

The defensive coordinator position at K-State, Venables' alma mater and home state, opened up today. Even though the coach-in-waiting idea has only worked about half the time, I could see them offering Brent this... Or maybe he's already re-committed to OU... or Clemson. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

The defensive coordinator position at K-State, Venables' alma mater and home state, opened up today. Even though the coach-in-waiting idea has only worked about half the time, I could see them offering Brent this... Or maybe he's already re-committed to OU... or Clemson. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

In as much as he did not even get an interview when Snyder left the first time, I do not see K State showing interest in a candidate whose responsibilities are being diminished for the 2012 season.

DaveSittler Dave Sittler
For what it's worth: source close to Venables' agent believes he's headed to Clemson. Just passing it on. Do with it what you will.

Yeah, read that and another tweet suggesting the Clemson folks have heard the same thing. Venables is a great recruiter, and his departure could impact the current set of commitments. Now that I think about it, his lack of comment on the matter may have been intended to avoid that very issue...

Yeah, read that and another tweet suggesting the Clemson folks have heard the same thing. Venables is a great recruiter, and his departure could impact the current set of commitments. Now that I think about it, his lack of comment on the matter may have been intended to avoid that very issue...

It shouldn't have a big impact b/c the current recruiting class is so weak (and low in #) defense. There's not much to lose. The offensive recruits are awesome for this year, but they're not leaving because of Venables.

It shouldn't have a big impact b/c the current recruiting class is so weak (and low in #) defense. There's not much to lose. The offensive recruits are awesome for this year, but they're not leaving because of Venables.

Yeah, can't help but notice the irony in that we've had one of the weakest defenses in the Stoops era this past season, yet we are (again) frontloading our recruiting on offense....sure seems we need some depth at DT, LB, DB....

Venables is gone. He has accepted the DC job at Clemson.

http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/34461261

He will get to be a HC @ Clemson within 3 years.