Head coach Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners announced that defensive coordinator Ted Roof would be mutually parting ways with the program.
Roof has been with Venables since he got the Oklahoma Sooners job, and Venables will be searching for a defensive coordinator for the first time in his head coaching career.
Roof has been a defensive coordinator at several Power-Five schools. He has been a long time defensive assistant, and has been coaching on the defensive side of the ball since 1987. Roof was most recently a defensive assistant with Venables on the 2021 Clemson Tigers.
The last time Roof was a defensive coordinator was with the Vanderbilt Commodores in 2020. Roof was also a defensive coordinator with the Appalachian State Mountaineers, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (twice), the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Auburn Tigers (national championship), the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Duke Blue Devils and the Umass Minutemen.
Venables said the he offered Roof a different role within the Oklahoma Sooners program. In an article from On3, Venables explained why he moved on from Roof at the defensive coordinator position.
“I have the utmost respect and appreciation for Ted,” Brent Venables said in a statement. “I told him Wednesday I made a decision to go in a new direction at defensive coordinator and offered him an opportunity to remain on our staff in a different role. He explained that he has a deep desire to keep coaching and will look to do that at a different school.”
Former Oklahoma Sooners defensive coordinator Ted Roof’s defense did not live up to head coach Brent Venables’ standard
Roof’s defense was 79th in total defense in the 2023 season, and the Sooners finished 10-3 despite the low ranking. Oklahoma was decent against the run, but struggled immensely against the pass.
The Sooners’ pass defense was 112th in the nation. They allowed 250.8 passing yards per game in 2023, and were 51st in the nation when it came to allowing touchdowns through the air.
One bright spot on the Oklahoma defense this year was their ability to produce turnovers. Their 2 turnovers a game was good for fourth in the nation.
Of the Sooners’ three losses, they allowed 38 points in two of them. Had they been able to hold their opponents to under 24 points, they could have finished the season undefeated. Oklahoma had one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in the now transferred Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel through for just under 350 yards in the Oklahoma Sooners loss to Oklahoma State, and the Sooners had a 100-yard rusher as well. Apart from the early-season game against the Cincinnati Bearcats, the Sooners never held another Big-12 team to under 20 points.
While the Sooners finished at the No. 49 spot in scoring defense, they allowed 27.6 points per game in their last nine games. That number would have them around the No. 90 spot.
Oklahoma Sooners fans are not overly excited about former defensive coordinator Ted Roof’s departure one way or the other
Roof’s departure was not particularly expected by Oklahoma Sooners fans. Some are surprised to see him go, but there isn’t a lot of excitement one way or the other.
Many fans expect Venables to hire a defensive coordinator from within, which does eliminate the excitement of a coaching search. The Oklahoma Sooners have a solid foundation on defense that was laid by Roof, and slight change in scheme or way of attacking things could provide the one or two more wins needed to get them into the College Football Playoff.
Roof’s decision to not accept Venable’s offer to stay within the Oklahoma Sooners program implies that he plans to continue his career as a defensive coordinator. Roof is just a couple years away from having four decades of experience, and he has the potential to fill one of the many open defensive coordinator spots in college football.
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