Venables: No decision on WR coach
Even before the Oklahoma season started, first-year head coach Brent Venables had to navigate a rough and tough situation.
Just weeks before the season, wide receiver coach Cale Gundy resigned, and L’Damian Washington was put into the interim role.
Receivers have talked all season about what a great job Washington has done in such a tough position, and Venables echoed that sentiment Wednesday morning.
“LD has done a fantastic job. I am incredibly proud of him. Hey, I have always said, you stay ready, so you don't have to get ready,” Venables said. “It is better to be prepared for an opportunity that may never come, as opposed to never being ready for an opportunity when it does come. So sometimes, that is the timing, it is not real convenient necessarily for anyone.
“But, he has done a fantastic job. Handled it like a pro. He has a great story, tremendous maturity to him. Great perspective on life. He is a relationship-driven guy, so it wasn't like he had to get to know everybody all of a sudden, both staff and certainly the players.
There were bridges already built and trust that is critically important when you are running a room and developing the trust of the players. I think he has done a great job both on and off the field this season.”
Washington has been recruiting like crazy just like the other OU coaches during this last month. Although Washington has handled the situation as well as anybody could have asked, Venables said no decision has been made about whether Washington will have the job in a permanent role just yet.
“I haven't made any final decisions in that regard, but very, very proud of the job that he's done this year,” Venables said.
OU wins the Bowen race
A lot of the focus was on the Cheez-It Bowl against No. 13 Florida State, but it was the first chance to ask Venables about everything that happened with Peyton Bowen.
“As you all know covering student-athletes and watching their journey, these life-changing decisions are never necessarily an easy thing, and quite a journey for Peyton and his family,” Venables said. “I am incredibly proud that he chose the Sooners, and they just wonderful people. Peyton brings a tremendous skill set, dynamics, instincts, speed, just great, great instincts, natural feel for the game. He is a winner. Comes from one of the best high school programs in the country, Denton (Texas) Guyer.
“He is going to bring a wealth of experience playing at a very high level from a competition standpoint. He is a humble, hardworking guy. From a symbolic standpoint, we have our poker chips we hand out to guys. You want to run the race to win. Winning is what it is about, but you have to run those races with endurance. That is nothing more, nothing less. Just really excited to add another dynamic piece to what we are trying to build on both sides of the ball, but obviously Peyton in the return game and on defense in particular.
‘Cool experience’ for the signees
A unique and cool experience for four of OU’s 2023 class as running back Kalib Hicks and Chapman McKown and defensive linemen Derrick LeBlanc and Ashton Sanders were able to travel to Florida and practice with the team.
“That was fun, to get them, just to be able to pull the curtain back for them,” Venables said. “Give them exposure to what to expect, get our players to get their arms around them and welcome them. Helping them in their transition.
“That was a lot of fun for us as a staff to be able to watch these guys we have been recruiting relentlessly the last several months, and to be able to have them here as part of the bowl experience is really cool.”
All of the signees were invited, but there was a big qualifier as to why just those four showed up. Anybody who participated in bowl practices would not be able to compete in any high school all-star game.
The Sooners have multiple signees that will be taking part in the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando and the All-American Bowl in San Antonio in the next couple of weeks.
It wasn’t really about the coaching staff getting a feel of the signees as much as just allowing them to take in the moment and enjoy.
“For us, didn't necessarily need to see anything from them. Get them exposure from fundamentals and how we practice, how we prepare, what the Bowl experience is like and transitioning relationship-wise with their teammates,” Venables said. “I thought it is a cool thing for them to be able to experience. It is more about them and their experience than it was for us as a coaching staff.”