Following a successful Year 2 in which they increased the club's win total from six to 10, the Oklahoma Board of Regents approved extensions and raises to Brent Venables's returning assistant coaches.
The Sooners will replace both coordinators from 2023 to 2024. Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby landed the head coaching job at Mississippi State, and defensive coordinator Ted Roof was let go.
Roof was replaced with Jacksonville State defensive coordinator, and longtime Venables protege, Zac Alley. His contract has yet to be presented to the board.
Venables replaced Lebby with a pair of internal promotions. Former North Texas head coach Seth Littrell was promoted to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after one season as an analyst. Littrell, who will be the play caller, signed a 3-year contract starting at $1.1 million with $50,000 annual raises (all info via the Tulsa World's Eric Bailey.)
Co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley also netted a massive raise. He's under contract for three years, with compensation starting at $900,000 with $25,000 annual raises. (He made $575,000 previously.)
The remainder of the staff breaks out as follows:
-- RBs coach DeMarco Murray: 2-year deal at $575,000 per ($75,000 raise)
-- WRs coach Emmett Jones: 2-year deal at $644,000 per ($94,000 raise)
-- O-line coach Bill Bedenbaugh: 2-year deal at $870,000 per ($50,000 raise)
-- Co-DC/DTs coach Todd Bates: 3-year deal at $700,000 per ($35,000 raise)
-- DEs coach Miguel Chavis: 2-year deal at $650,000 per ($50,000 raise)
-- Safeties coach Brandon Hall: 2-year deal at $500,000 per ($150,000 raise)
-- CBs coach Jay Valai: 2-year deal at $750,000 per ($50,000 raise)
Lebby was set to make $2 million had he returned to Oklahoma in 2024 and Roof $1.2 million, so Venables is still operating at a $1.2 million budget surplus even after all the raises. I'd bet on Alley's contract being a 3-year deal with a salary somewhere in the low $1 million range.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.