"Guys didn't pass drug tests": Brent Venables recounts how he turned things around at Oklahoma football team

Brent Venables was hired as the Oklahoma Sooners head coach in December 2021. During his debut campaign in 2022, Venables led the Sooners to a 6-7 campaign and a Cheez-It Bowl loss to Florida State. The team improved to a 10-3 record a year later but lost in the Bowl game.

Venables' initial days with the program were full of challenges. During Tuesday's media availability, he recalled those difficult times and how he gave it his all to turn things around for the team.

"As a football program, we had a lot of issues, you know, in the first year," Venables said. "Guys weren't going to class. We had a 2.2 team GPA. And lot a guys didn't pass drug tests. A lot. And so, what comes with that? You know, lack of motivation, lack of synergy, lack of, again, ambition, and there were some broken spirits too.

"So, you know, changing the mindset, how we thought and the thinking part of it. You know, how we viewed ourselves, ... So not a lot of guys, we didn't have this false confidence."

Last season, the Sooners became a part of the SEC along with the Texas Longhorns. In their debut campaign in the conference, Brent Venables could only muster a 6-7 record and an Armed Forces Bowl loss to Navy. This has raised questions about his future with the program while putting him in the hot seat.

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Colin Cowherd trolls Brent Venables' stint with Oklahoma while comparing it with Lincoln Riley

Not everybody was sold that Brent Venables helped rebuild the Sooners. One of those critics is a college football analyst, Colin Cowherd.

After the Oklahoma coach's emotional speech about hardships and challenges in Year One, Cowherd took a jab at Venables while comparing his stint with Lincoln Riley's.

Colin Cowherd

@colincowherd

Lincoln Riley averaged 11 wins per year. Brent Venables averages 8. Congrats on fixing team spirits.

"Lincoln Riley averaged 11 wins per year. Brent Venables averages 8. Congrats on fixing team spirits," Cowherd wrote.

Lincoln Riley had an impressive five-season stint with the Sooners from 2017 to 2021. He led them to four consecutive Big 12 titles, making them a genuine threat in the conference. In his final campaign, the team finished with an 11-2 record and an Alamo Bowl victory over Oregon.

However, in November 2021, Riley took over as the head coach of the USC Trojans. This led to the team bringing in Venables from Clemson. Can he redeem himself with a successful campaign this year?