West Virginia is set to hire Oklahoma defensive coordinator Zac Alley to the same position, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Saturday.
Industry sources informed FootballScoop of this possibility earlier this week and now confirm this is happening.
Alley, 30, is expected to leave OU after one season to reunite with Rich Rodriguez, for whom he worked as defensive coordinator from 2022-23.
Alley made $850,000 at OU, making him among the lowest-paid coordinators in the SEC. While it remains to be seen what he'll make at WVU, West Virginia offers Alley full autonomy over the defense, something he would not have had under Venables at Oklahoma.
Alley worked under Venables at Clemson from 2012-18, first as an undergraduate and then as a GA. He then coached linebackers at Boise State before serving as ULM's defensive coordinator in 2021. That 2021 ULM season put him in the same staff room as Rodriguez, who brought Alley to Jacksonville State when he landed the head coaching job the following season.
Alley's departure means Venables will replace both coordinators, again, in 2024. Ted Roof coordinated Oklahoma's defense from 2022-23, and Oklahoma lost offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to the Mississippi State head coaching position following the '22 season. Lebby's replacement, Seth Littrell, lasted seven games into the 2024 campaign.
Ben Arbuckle has been hired to run Oklahoma's offense in 2025, and now the Sooners will need a new coordinator on the other side of the ball.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.