Oklahoma football is losing a key piece of its staff. Oklahoma assistant coach J.R. Sandlin is leaving the Sooners to take a job at SMU, per Sports Illustrated.
Sandlin has played a major part in recruiting for the football program. He worked at Oklahoma as director of player personnel and recruiting. Sandlin is going to be an assistant athletic director and general manager at SMU, as the school moves on to the ACC.
Sandlin came to Oklahoma with head coach Brent Venables in late 2021. He worked with Venables to bring the program back from a disappointing 6-7 season in 2022. In 2023, the Sooners won 10 games under Venables with Sandlin working as an assistant. Oklahoma closed out the 2023 football season with a loss in the Alamo Bowl to Arizona.
The Sooners are undergoing a lot of changes. The school is leaving the Big 12 Conference and headed to the SEC in 2024, along with Texas. Oklahoma football is also shuffling some staffers. The Sooners are adding Jolie Ale as its next director of on-campus recruiting, per The Oklahoman.
Before joining Oklahoma football, Sandlin worked at Jacksonville State, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Alabama. Sandlin played tight end at UCF and has also been a high school coach since his playing career ended, per Sports Illustrated. Sandlin will now play a major role in helping SMU compete in a power 5 conference, the ACC. The Mustangs will have to travel thousands of miles for road games to the West Coast, as well as the East Coast.
Oklahoma football starts its 2024 season with a home game against Temple on August 31.
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