Oklahoma Sooners welcome their new GM, Jim Nagy, in Venables’ projected breakout year at the South Central. It is certainly considered a boom hire for the Sooners, landing a former NFL scout who grabbed the blueblood experience as the Senior Bowl’s executive director since 2018. He was not even in the Sooners’ court, considering how diligently and efficiently he raised the stock in his resume during the Senior Bowl, expanding the game’s profile and becoming a steady mobile sensation. The New York Jets saw a good general manager in him and conducted an interview, but for some reason, the job went to Darren Mougey. Good for Brent Venables, who could smoothly slither into that void. But does it mean any good for the Sooners’ head coach?
Nagy said the opportunity at Oklahoma was worth not having the NFL job back in December or leaving the Senior Bowl job as he sees how the school is preparing for the next phase of college athletics. He sees the value coach Venables and President Harroz and Joe Castiglione are adding to the programs over the years and how they look dead committed to a rebound in the wake of a new college football reality. So Nagy is all fired up to make an impact on Norman in his debut year. But here comes a risk factor!
If you study the history of college football, a tussle between the general managers and the head coaches is a pretty common scene, as their roles don’t showcase a clear distinction. Sometimes, the line of difference is so blurred that it overlaps. But in the case of the Sooners, Venables will get some edge, and this is how.
Analyst Cole of the college football addiction said when asked about the chance of a short-time flick of Jim Nagy with the Sooners, ‘‘I think That’s a realistic possibility. The way that I always view it personally is if you’re the newest guy hired, you’re the last one on the totem pole, so you’re safe for at least one full year like if they hire a GM and a head coach in the NFL at the same time both of you could be on the chopping block at the same time, but if a GM comes in after a head coach comes in, the GM now has the say over the head coach, or if a head coach comes in, the head coach kind of has a little bit more priority than the GM. I feel that way with Negi. I feel that he’s safe for a year, at least.”
Easy to remember where my new assigned parking spot is at OU stadium. Right next to pillar with Sooners legend Billy Sims. Growing up huge Detroit Lions fan, my first bedroom poster and first jersey as a little kid was @RealBillySims. Not taking this new opportunity for granted. pic.twitter.com/uB4sqEM4YN
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) March 7, 2025
What does that mean? Well, in this case, if Oklahoma fires their head coach Venables after a year, they might be at a crossroads of who to recruit in his place. Not every head coach out there would be comfortable working under the unofficial stewardship of a GM (given that Nagy will stick to the school after one year and has some recruitment upper hands). Predicting a not-so-fetched reality, Cole pointed out, ”At some point in time, a GM is dictating roster decisions over a coach at the college football level, but that really turns the sport on its head.”
However, for now, it seems Nagy and Venables would love to work side by side, ensuring the holistic health of the program going forward. ”This is a true collaboration. It’s going to be a great fit. Again, if I would’ve gone up to Norman and really not felt that from him, then I wouldn’t have accepted the role,” the new GM spoke highly of his coach.
But despite the hopeful alignment, Venables landed on the other side of the fans’ sentiment with his crucial decision in the year 2025.
Brent Venables catches fire after his recent decision to call plays
Oklahoma’s debut season in the SEC did not go as expected. The Sooners managed to bag a 6-7 campaign in Year 3 of the Brent Venables era, putting him on a red-hot seat in 2025. There might not be any second coach in the mix who is facing more pressure than Venables heading to year four at Norman, but he always has a plan. With so much on the line, Venables decides to go back to his best weapon for success. There is no guarantee of success in that sense, though, but the head coach gives him a chance to do what he does best: calling defense.
After missing out on their chance with Jim Knowles following Zach Alley’s departure, Venables chose to take the matter into his own hands. His reason? “Why am I calling the defense? Because I’m good at it.” As simple as that. But it didn’t go well with fans and veterans for obvious reasons.
They believe it gets in the way of carrying out overall head coaching responsibilities with ease, especially considering the severe struggles in the last season. It’s an undeniable debate that Venables should focus more on mending his coaching woes rather than shifting the focus on a comparatively easy job on one side of the ball. No doubt he will do it well, particularly when he has a reputation as one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, but will it resolve the other problems the Sooners showcased in their SEC inaugural season? High time to think!
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