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ESPN REPORT: Brent Venables Shocks College Football World, Rejects $9.5M Kansas, Georgia OCC Offer to Stay with Sooners
By Chris Holloway | ESPN Senior Writer | May 5, 2025
NORMAN, Okla. — In a college football world driven by money, power, and prestige, Brent Venables has sent a seismic message: loyalty still matters.
Late Monday night, in a move that blindsided boosters, shook recruiting circles, and lit social media on fire, Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables publicly rejected a combined $9.5 million coaching offer from a shadowy coalition reportedly backed by both Kansas and Georgia football donors—dubbed the “OCC” (Open Coaching Consortium)—that aimed to orchestrate a blockbuster coaching shift.
Venables, eyes locked and voice firm at an impromptu press conference under the glow of Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium lights, declared:
> “I have no plans beyond being the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. Not for $9.5 million, not for 95. This isn’t just a job to me—this is family, legacy, and a calling.”
The Offer That Rocked the Nation
Sources close to the situation confirmed the OCC, a powerful network of private donors and NIL syndicates from Kansas and Georgia, had reached out with a joint proposal—an unprecedented dual-program coaching strategy to modernize recruiting and strategy pipelines. It would have made Venables the highest-paid coach in college football history.
Kansas boosters envisioned Venables as the final piece in their Big 12 takeover, while Georgia saw him as a co-director of defensive operations, following Kirby Smart’s unexpected leave for NFL consultancy. A private jet, 10-year guarantees, and program-wide autonomy were on the table.
But Venables walked away.
A Loyalty Rare in Modern Football
This isn’t the first time Venables has said no to temptation. Hailed as a defensive genius at Clemson, he waited nearly a decade before taking the Oklahoma job in 2021, embracing a legacy left by legends like Bob Stoops and Barry Switzer.
Now, in 2025, with the Sooners ranked No. 3 nationally and returning Heisman finalist QB Tyler Griggs under center, Venables has the program on the brink of its first national title since 2000.
Former Sooners coach Bob Stoops praised the decision:
> “This man understands the soul of Oklahoma football. He’s not chasing checks. He’s chasing greatness.”
Players, Fans React With Emotion
The announcement sent shockwaves through the locker room. Videos quickly circulated of Sooners players erupting into cheers as the news broke. On campus, fans gathered spontaneously outside the stadium, singing the fight song under crimson-lit skies.
Star linebacker Rashawn McKnight tweeted, “Coach V is HIM. Ain’t no price tag on heart.”
What It Means for College Football
Analysts are calling this one of the most significant refusals in coaching history. With money dominating headlines and NIL deals shifting the landscape, Venables’ decision echoes the ethos of an older era—when identity, not income, defined leadership.
Meanwhile, the OCC is reportedly pivoting to other targets, including coaches at Oregon and Penn State, but the damage is done. The world saw a man turn down a fortune for a future he believes in.
In a game full of transfers, trades, and turnarounds—Brent Venables just redefined what it means to stay home.
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