Oklahoma coach Brent Venables NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables Initiates $1 Million Pay Cut for 2025 per Report

Originally posted on Oklahoma Sooners on SI
By Carson Field | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 6:48 PM ET

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables’ salary will reportedly be far lower for the 2025 season, per a report from USA Today.

According to documents obtained by USA Today, Venables’ salary will be reduced to $7.55 million for the 2025 season. He was set to make $8.55 million this year.

The future years on Venables’ contract, though, will reportedly remain the same. According to USA Today, he will make $8.65 million during the 2026 and 2027 seasons, $8.75 million in 2028 and $8.85 million in 2029.

Venables’ contract expires on Jan. 31, 2030.

Also reported in the article, those amounts are guaranteed to Venables if he is fired without cause, subject to him searching for similar, athletics-related employment.

Per the report, Venables’ pay cut is of his own will.

"It was initiated by Coach Venables as a one-time give-back to contribute to the department's revenue-sharing efforts," an Oklahoma athletics department spokesman told USA Today.

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione told Sooner Scoop, "It really shows a lot of leadership on Brent’s part... He recognized the need to retain players already on our roster and those we needed to recruit.”

The agreement between Venables and the University of Oklahoma was signed in February, per the report.

Venables has been at OU since 2022 and has yet to reach the lofty expectations that come with being the head coach in Norman.

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The Sooners have finished 6-7 in two of his three seasons as head coach, and Venables has an overall record of 22-17. Most recently, the Sooners went 2-6 in conference play in their first season in the Southeastern Conference and lost to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Venables replaced Lincoln Riley — now at USC — as OU’s coach after the 2021 season after spending a decade as Clemson’s defensive coordinator. During his time with the Tigers, Venables won two national championships and received the Broyles Award, given to college football's best assistant coach, in 2016.

Venables is one of two coaches in Oklahoma that will take a pay cut in 2025. Longtime Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy agreed to a $1 million reduction to his salary after the Cowboys went 3-9 and failed to win a game in Big 12 play in 2024. Gundy’s buyout also was reduced.

Fellow SEC coach Brian Kelly also gave $1 million of his 2025 salary back to LSU. Kelly donated that portion of his salary back to the Tigers to help fuel NIL fundraising efforts in Baton Rouge.

Oklahoma opens the season on Saturday against Illinois State. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Sooners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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