Brent Venables' first season at Oklahoma did not go according to plan, but he still takes pride in his roster-building approach compared to that of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.
David Ubben of The Athletic shared comments Venables made to OUNightlySports, a student-run television station.
"We're another year in establishing our standards and our culture and our values," he said. "That matters. A year ago, I challenged the guys. I wasn't like Deion that gave guys a bunch of pink slips. I gave guys 12 months of grace to go to class, live right off the field and show up with a great urgency and respect for your opportunity at the University of Oklahoma."
That wasn't the only time Venables brought up Sanders.
He also did so during an appearance on local radio station KREF when discussing the departure of 21 players following that first season.
"I gave guys 12 months of grace. I was unlike Deion," he said (h/t Ubben). "I gave guys 12 months of grace to figure it out. Here's three: Go to class, live right off the field and when you show up here you show up with respect and appreciation with your opportunity. And if you go 0-for-3 for 12 months, you need a fresh start, so we helped 21 guys, give or take, find a fresh start."
Oklahoma went 6-7 in Venables' first season in 2022 and capped off a disappointing effort with a loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.
It was the first time since the 2014 campaign the Sooners lost more than two games, and things might not get much easier for the former Clemson defensive coordinator considering the program's impending move to the daunting SEC.
But he still jumped at the chance to take a shot at Sanders, who took quite the drastic approach ahead of his first season with the Buffaloes.
As Barkley Truax of On3 noted, Colorado lost 58 players and added 50 more through the utilization of the transfer portal. It was an unprecedented approach for a team coming off a 1-11 season.
It remains to be seen what the results will be on the field, but count Venables among those who disapproved.
