Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables Discusses Decision to Give $1 Million Back to OU

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables has a million reasons to get the Sooners back to national prominence.

So the coach put his money where his mouth is — and gave a million dollars back to the university’s football players.

News of that February decision came out earlier this week, and on Saturday, after the Sooners worked over Illinois State 35-3 in the 2025 season opener, Venables was asked about his decision and how it came about.

“I did it because I think it was the right thing to do,” Venables said. “I’ve lived a very favored career, way more than what I deserve. And you know, I want to help Oklahoma be a winner. Everybody can play a role into that. And so Julie (Venables) and I spoke over several days on what that might look like. And so we worked it out with the administration. And just think it's right, you know? 

“The players deserve that. … Everything's different than what it was 5-10-15 years ago. And so it's a very small gesture, and but I think it — I wanted to send a message, you know, to our players. But also, you know, (to) other donors too. And I know how that can really help, and I do feel like maybe it did.” 

USA Today reported that Venables will take a million dollar pay cut to $7.55 million for 2025, an idea he brought to the school last winter.

“You know, the buy-in is there,” Venables said. “It's not one-sided. It's all of us together. If we're going to be successful, it's going to the whole program. Our fans, our fan base, who are just amazing, our administration, our players, our coaches, it’s going to be all of us together moving forward right now.”

Venables also said the funds will go directly to the Sooners’ revenue-sharing account with the athletes.

“We got it all paid out before July 1,” Venables said. “I think that was an important part of it.

LSU coach Brian Kelly did the same this earlier this year. Other coaches have followed suit. Venables reiterated that the changing landscape of college   football demands a different type of thinking from its coaches.

“I think that's a big part of it,” he said. “Obviously, things have changed — and it's about time, you know? I wish it would have happened earlier. I'm not going to get on the soap box where, ‘It didn't have to be so dramatic all at once,’ because it's been dramatic, as we all know. But yeah, things are not going back. 

“So we're in a pretty good place right now, and I think we'll continue to — I think leadership is getting a grip on where we need to be and where we need to move going forward, so that we have something that's stable and consistent so that you can have continuity in your program, things of that nature.

Venables later added that his wife was “smashing cancer right now” after battling the disease for the last two years.