Brent Venables circling the wagons at Oklahoma

Lincoln Riley did more than shock the world when he left Oklahoma for USC. He wounded the heart and the ego of a proud fan base.

Oklahoma hadn't lost a coach to another job in nearly 50 years, and hadn't seen a coach leave for another college in nearly 75. To anyone 80 or younger, losing a coach to another college job was truly unthinkable -- because they'd never had to think it before. Especially when you consider how many glowing things Riley had said about Oklahoma, how many times he'd denied interest in other jobs. When Riley said he wasn't going to LSU, next question, Sooner Nation thought they had their coach... if not for life, then for a long, long time. Turns out, they had him for a few more hours.

And so when Riley departed Norman for Hollywood, Oklahoma fans were sad, they were stunned, they were hurt, and most of all they were absolutely f'n pissed. This was O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A. Didn't Lincoln realize that? For seven years running, Oklahoma had the most fearsome offense, led by the best quarterback play, in all of college football. What were they now? And with the SEC move coming down the road?

When Bob Stoops spoke at last Tuesday's press conference, you could feel the fear galvanize into catharsis. "Give it a little bit of time and you're going to see, this is just a little bump in the road," Stoops said. "There's not one person that's bigger than the program. Coach Switzer, myself, or Lincoln Riley."

Given some distance from Nov. 28 and you could see the thinking of everyone in crimson and cream start to crystallize: Yeah, five Big 12 titles in six seasons were nice, making the Playoff three times was a great accomplishment, but giving up 54, 45 and 63 points was not. Oklahoma fans could shrug and appreciate the things Lincoln Riley accomplished in Norman while at the same time admit that this was an appropriate time to hit the reset button. After all, the trend line was admittedly pointing downward: from legitimate national title contender (2017), to Playoff blowouts (2018-19), to a Big 12 champion and non-Playoff qualifier (2020), to non-Big 12 Championship qualifier (2021). And yeah, recruiting was going extremely good -- the 2023 class ranked No. 1 in the country as of last Sunday, it's now ranked 12th -- but the recruiting was going better than the actual football.

Riley's departure was still a big, wet loogie in the eye, but it was also an opportunity. An opportunity to reimagine and recenter Oklahoma football. To collectively admit that it'd be nice to not have to score 50 points to comfortably win a game.

And this is all why Brent Venables made so much sense from the start. He checked every single box:

-- First-time head coach
-- Defensive background
-- Connection to the Bob Stoops era
-- First name starts with a B, just like Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer and, yes, Bob Stoops

All of those were important. As a coordinator, Venables wasn't pressured to bring his whole staff with him, because he didn't have a staff. Conveniently, Riley left behind five assistants that played at Oklahoma: co-offensive coordinator/inside receivers coach Cale Gundy, defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux, inside linebackers coach Brian Odom, running backs coach DeMarco Murray, and tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley.

On Tuesday, it was reported Venables' two most important hires -- his offensive coordinator and his strength coach -- will be former Sooners: Jeff Lebby and Jerry Schmidt. (FootballScoop can confirm Lebby's hiring.)

Here is Oklahoma's coaching staff as it stands today:

Head coach: Brent Venables (OU assistant coach, 1999-2011)
Offensive coordinator/QBs: Jeff Lebby (OU student assistant, 2002-06)
Running backs: DeMarco Murray (OU RB, 2006-10)
Co-OC/Inside receivers: Cale Gundy (OU QB, 1990-93; OU assistant, 1999-present)
Tight ends: Joe Jon Finley (OU TE, 2004-07)
Co-OC/Offensive line: Bill Bedenbaugh (OU assistant, 2013-present)

Defensive coordinator: TBD
Inside linebackers: Brian Odom (OU LB, 2000-01)
Defensive line: Calvin Thibodeaux (OU DL, 2002-06)
Defensive backs: TBD
Special teams: TBD

Head strength coach: Jerry Schmidt (OU strength coach, 1999-2017)

Venables' staff is not set yet, and so responsibilities could shift and coaches could depart. Three jobs remain open. But as it stands today, nine of the 12 on-the-field jobs are occupied -- head coach, 10 assistants, strength coach -- and all nine men were brought to Norman by Bob Stoops.

Lincoln Riley's departure was a blow to the collective psyche of Sooner Nation unlike any other in living memory, and the response was clear. It was OU's rally-around-the-flag-moment. It was time to double down and triple down on all things Oklahoma. 

Oklahoma could have loaded up the Sooner Schooner and taken the program in any direction it wanted when Riley left. It chose to circle the wagons.