NORMAN — Mike Stoops is now on the record that he’s coming back. But the Twittersphere is heating up.
What about Brent Venables?
On Thursday, his name came up as a candidate for several defensive coordinator positions around the country.
Please don’t let this get ugly.
It is true, no matter how titles and duties are said to be handed out, it’s hard to imagine Mike Stoops as anything less than first among equals among Oklahoma’s defensive coaches.
One hopes that’s enough.
Enough for Venables.
Actually, one hopes that’s not even the issue. One hopes for harmony, on a personal scale if not a football scale, because these two guys were roommates once upon a time, the younger Stoops and Venables. They were bosom buddies, certainly great friends, maybe best friends.
Heck, you’ve got to have somebody in the foxhole with you if you’re going to work for Bill Snyder at Kansas State, and Mike Stoops and Venables had each other.
Where to begin?
How about here.
We don’t know if Venables, personally, is holding up any process. We don’t know, not really, if he’s at all thinking about moving out of Norman. Indeed, it is almost predictable that his name would come up at several places the very day after it became clear that Mike Stoops would be rejoining Bob Stoops’ staff.
Venables could be down for every Sooner cause and still it could take longer than a day to come to terms with the titles he and Mike Stoops will settle upon for their next run together.
Venables might not be looking for another job and he would still be a fool not to listen to all comers. Even Bob Stoops has listened to all comers. He stuck around, but he listened.
Many believe this will run its course sometime today and, also sometime today, official word will be offered by OU, perhaps with a hastily arranged press conference. That’s how these things tend to work.
Too bad, however, Mike Stoops had to confirm for everybody that he’s on the way back before Bob Stoops — and, yes, perhaps Venables, too — put their ducks in a row.
If Venables feels he’s in a tight spot, I hope he’s asking himself the only question that matters.
What is it that he wants?
If being the second of two equals, or of having less standing than that, even internally, titles aside, is not acceptable, then it’s not acceptable and his decision is made.
If it’s only an issue of perception, and he really likes the idea of the band getting back together, even as the band falls back into its old duties, then he’s got nothing to worry about.
He has to please himself, that and his family.
It is only one opinion, but the idea Venables’ stock drops by his taking a step sideways or backward on the Sooner staff is not necessarily true. Because if you’re looking for the next great head coach in college football, and you love Venables, you shouldn’t love him less for making room for Mike Stoops.
After all, what could be greater proof of a guy unwilling to let ego get in the way of progress and, further, why wouldn’t somebody want Venables to run their program?
He’s been around one of the best for a long, long time, he’s been a big part of fantastic success, and he clearly has the temperament required to handle the pressures of the job. More than the guy he might be making room for again on the OU staff, anyway.
Here’s what I know.
I know how much Venables has enjoyed it here. I know how much value he’s placed upon his and his family’s happiness. Because it has always been more important to him than fulfilling somebody else’s idea of the way his career ought to go.
If he sees things as he’s always seen them, and acts accordingly, he has nothing to worry about.
Wherever he is.
Clay Horning 366-3526 cfhorning@normantranscript.com
