Oklahoma remains home for Jeff Lebby after a spin around coaching carousels
Jeff Lebby doesn’t plan on going anywhere.
After Brent Venables’ first season ended with a disappointing 6-7 finish, Lebby’s name was thrown into the never-ending coaching carousel. Considered one of the top offensive coordinators in college football, he became a potential candidate at several schools, most notably for Alabama’s offensive coordinator vacancy.
But Lebby, a 2007 OU graduate, never had any intentions of leaving his alma mater.
“I love Oklahoma. I love coach (Brent Venables). I love sitting in the chair that I’m able to sit in every day,” Lebby said Tuesday at OU’s first spring practice. “I don’t take it for granted for a second. My family is unbelievably happy here. And I’ve got a chance to go chase what I love doing every single day at a place where I went to school. And I just don’t think that’s very common with great friends every single day with people that I trust. Blessed to be here, fortunate to be here, and we’re going to get it right.”
For Lebby, coaching at Oklahoma is a dream job. He started his coaching career at OU as a student assistant from 2002-2006, after his playing career ended due to injuries. He worked his way up the coaching ranks at Baylor (2008-2016), Southeastern (2017), UCF (2018-2019) and Ole Miss (2020-2021) before he landed at Oklahoma with Venables – who was OU’s co-defensive coordinator when Lebby was a student assistant.
That’s why leaving Oklahoma will never be an easy decision for Lebby – even if Nick Saban calls.
“I think the biggest thing is that I’ve had experiences here,” Lebby said. “So for me, it’s being back here and understanding it’s more than just a university. It’s somewhere where I’ve bled it, I’ve wanted it and now I’ve got a chance to do it again. That, to me, is pretty special.”
While many outside of Norman speculated Lebby might be enticed to go elsewhere, he never wavered. And he made sure the players he was recruiting to Oklahoma knew that.
“I think guys understand those conversations are those conversations and guys that we’re recruiting understand that I love Oklahoma,” Lebby said. “And it was very clear to them. Maybe a little drama out there but not from me, inside and out, and dealing with the guys I was dealing with every single day. Those guys understood how much I loved being here every day.”
Lebby is sure to have more opportunities thrown his way in the near future, especially if his offense has the sort of success it did in his first season. Oklahoma ranked 13th in total offense and 25th in points per game. That’s why Lebby is one of the highest-paid assistants in college football at $1.9 million, recently receiving a $100,000 raise and being extended through 2026.
It wouldn’t be a surprise though if Lebby was soon offered not just other offensive coordinator gigs at major programs, but a head coaching job. Since the beginning of the Bob Stoops era in 1999, every Oklahoma offensive coordinator has landed a head coaching job – Mike Leach, Mark Mangino, Chuck Long, Kevin Sumlin, Kevin Wilson, Josh Heupel and Lincoln Riley. It’s safe to say Lebby will eventually join that group.
But for Lebby, he’s not focused on that right now.
“I have ambitions of getting Oklahoma back to where we need to get it,” Lebby said. “That’s what I want and have a passion for right now. And it’s going to continue to be that way until it happens.”
Right now, Lebby is focused on OU’s offense taking the next step, after its shortcomings last season. And that starts this spring.
“Just an understanding of what it all looks like. The day-to-day of it,” Lebby said. “What we’re asking these guys to do every day and them understanding that is a huge advantage to have in Year 2. There’s got to be a ton of growth in the next 14 practices. That’s what it’s all about every single day and it’s that simple. That’s what we’ve got to get done.”