Oklahoma Sooners Football

Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables and Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning are reportedly drawing interest for Oklahoma's vacant head coaching position, according to ESPN. 

The position was previously filled by Lincoln Riley, who became head coach of the USC Trojans earlier this week. 

Venables previously served as an associate head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Sooners from 1999-2011 under Bob Stoops, who is currently serving as Oklahoma's interim head coach. 

Since joining Clemson, the 50-year-old has helped the team to two national titles (2016, 2018), in addition to six ACC championships. He also won the 2016 Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in the nation. 

Several Oklahoma players also recently predicted Venables would be the team's next head coach in a YouTube video posted by Sooners punter Michael Turk.

"Who do I think is going to be the [next] head coach? I think Coach Venables," one player said. 

"I think it's going to be Venables," another Oklahoma player replied. "It might be Venables." 

Lanning, meanwhile, has spent the last three seasons as Georgia's defensive coordinator under Kirby Smart. In two of those three seasons, the Bulldogs have led the nation in total defense, per Sports Illustrated.

Lanning started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for Pittsburgh in 2011 before becoming a graduate assistant at Arizona State. He then was elevated to a recruiting coordinator in 2013 before becoming defensive backs coach and co-recruiting coordinator at Sam Houston State in 2014. 

The 35-year-old was also an inside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at Memphis in 2015. He began his career at Georgia as an outside linebackers coach in 2018 before being elevated to defensive coordinator in 2019. 

In addition to Venables and Lanning, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell and Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell are reportedly drawing interest from Oklahoma. 

Riley had been head coach of the Sooners since 2017. He announced his departure from the school shortly after the team's 37-33 loss to Oklahoma State on Nov. 27.  

The wave of college football recruits decommitting from Oklahoma to join ex-Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley at USC continued Friday, with 5-star class of 2023 athlete Makai Lemon announcing that he will be joining the Trojans.

Lemon told the news to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Recruits:

Five-star class of 2023 quarterback Malachi Nelson and 5-star class of 2022 running back Raleek Brown have already decommitted from Oklahoma to join USC.

Five-star class of 2023 wide receiver Brandon Inniss has also decommitted from Oklahoma but has not announced his college destination.

Losing Lemon is a tough one for the Sooners. The Los Alamitos High School star is 27th overall in the 247Sports composite rankings for the class of 2023 and fourth among prospects in California.

Gabe Brooks, who is 247Sports' Midlands Region recruiting analyst, wrote the following about Lemon:

Requisite size for receiver or defensive back with a lean, athletic build that can add some more mass. Dynamic playmaker at the high school level with outstanding junior year production at receiver and cornerback. Also provides a dangerous return game option. Excels in the short area with terrific lateral twitch and explosion, which fosters separation, whether at the line of scrimmage or the top of the route. For the same reasons is dangerous as a run-after-catch threat. Also uses suddenness to close on the catch point as a defender. Elite body control in his routes and when the ball is in the air. Football IQ combines with functional athleticism to provide great feel for tempo as a route runner.

Brooks also wrote Lemon looked like a receiver in the "long run" but that he could have a higher ceiling as a cornerback.

Either way, Brooks called him one of his class' best two-way prospects, with the potential to ultimately hear his name called in an early round of the NFL draft.

Now he'll be joining what appears to be a loaded USC class of 2023 as the Trojans look to return to past glory under Riley.

Oklahoma wideout Marvin Mims is reportedly "strongly considering" putting his name in the transfer portal, according to Chris Hummer of 247Sports. 

That potential decision may go deeper than just the departure of former head coach Lincoln Riley, who bolted to USC this past week, however.

Per that report:

Sources say Mims has been considering a transfer since midway through the 2021 campaign, largely due to frustration with his role in the offense; a freshman All-American in 2020, Mims didn't catch a touchdown until Week 6 and was targeted only 39 times this year.

Mims caught 37 passes for 610 yards and nine scores as a freshman, but this season's production—30 catches for 648 yards and four scores—hasn't been the leap that was expected during his sophomore campaign. 

Granted, he could have a change of mind. Hummer reported that a transfer isn't "considered imminent, but sources indicate the plan for him is to leave following the fall semester." But Hummer noted that those same sources said "a coaching hire and staff shake-up in Norman could always alter Mims' plans."

Mims could join quarterback Spencer Rattler, who already announced he was entering the transfer portal:

And Oklahoma's incoming 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes have already taken a hit in the wake of Riley's departure.

The biggest loss was 2023 5-star quarterback Malachi Nelson, who flipped his commitment from the Sooners to USC, though 2023 5-star wideout Brandon Inniss, 2022 4-star linebacker Kobie McKinzie and 2023 4-star running back Treyaun Webb also decommitted from the Sooners. 

Whoever ultimately replaces Riley is going to have an interesting rebuilding job on his hands. The potential to lose established talents like Mims would be a major blow to that transition effort. 

Two days after 5-star quarterback Malachi Nelson decommitted from Oklahoma, he announced publicly that he would be following head coach Lincoln Riley to USC. 

Nelson is considered the No. 2 player in the class of 2023, the No. 2 quarterback prospect and the top player from the state of California, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Nelson's decision doesn't come as a huge surprise, considering he plays for Orange County's Los Alamitos High School, about 25 miles south of Los Angeles. Riley's departure from the Sooners to the Trojans surely made staying close to home all the easier. 

It followed something of a purge for Oklahoma, as 2022 4-star linebacker Kobie McKinzie and 2023 5-star wideout Brandon Inniss and 4-star running back Treyaun Webb also decommitted from the Sooners following the Riley news. 

And 2022 5-star running back Raleek Brown, currently an Oklahoma commit, might be the next high-profile recruit to leave Norman behind.

"That changes everything," he told ESPN this week regarding Riley's move. "I had a good relationship with all [the Oklahoma coaches], so that will really change everything."

As for Nelson, his switch in allegiances is huge for USC. Greg Biggins of 247Sports wrote in his scouting report that Nelson "has all the physical tools you could want in a next level signal-caller."

He also wrote Nelson has "an athletic body with plenty of room to grow" and is "a very fluid athlete in everything he does," adding that "no quarterback in the class has a higher ceiling right now than Nelson."

The 6'3" and 180-pound Nelson threw for 2,690 yards, 39 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a junior in 2021. USC and Riley have pulled off a coup flipping his commitment.

Lincoln Riley leaving Oklahoma to become head coach at USC is starting to have ramifications on the Sooners' recruiting.

Makai Lemon, a 5-star athlete who's ranked as the No. 2 athlete nationally in the class of 2023 by 247Sports, announced that he has decommitted from Oklahoma and will not be reopening his recruitment.

Lemon, a native of Southern California, told 247Sports that he made his decision to de-commit from Oklahoma when he found out receivers coach Dennis Simmons was joining Riley at USC. He said the coaching staff has expressed interest in him becoming a Trojan.

"I didn't want to de-commit right away until I knew what coach Simmons was doing,” Lemon said. "He was a big reason why I committed to Oklahoma in the first place. ... I got a call from coach Simmons this week too and he's excited about the opportunity. He knows they can do big things at USC and he wants me to be a part of that."

Lemon added that he plans on visiting USC and expects to make a decision "in the next week or two." He admitted that the situation is intriguing because he grew up as a fan of the Trojans and he also has a strong desire to play for Riley and his staff.

"It was tough to make the decision to leave home," he said. "I'm a SoCal guy and love it out here, but I wanted to play for those coaches in that offense.

"Now the coaches that I love are right here at USC, the school I always thought I would be going to. Me and Malachi [Nelson] are planning to go up there tomorrow for a visit and I think I could be ready to make my decision pretty soon here."

Lemon is a versatile player who has impressed on both sides of the ball. 247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins describes him as "a twitchy two-way athlete who shows elite upside as a receiver or a cornerback. ... He works hard off the field and has all the tools to project as a Power Five starter and future high-round NFL draft pick."

After initially striking a diplomatic tone to address Lincoln Riley's departure for USC, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione provided some insight into his true feelings Monday.

"We're here today, surprised by yesterday, but with unlimited excitement for tomorrow," he said at a press conference to introduce interim coach Bob Stoops.

University president Joe Harroz said he was "absolutely" disappointed as well.

Riley's decision may have been more expected if there had been any undercurrent of frustration between him and the administration in Norman, Oklahoma.

In a similar move, Jimbo Fisher bolted Florida State for Texas A&M after the 2017 season, but that was the culmination of longstanding internal turmoil. If Fisher hadn't taken the Aggies' job, then it probably would've been another school at some point.

Based on what has come out so far, there wasn't any sort of drama at OU. Castiglione addressed perhaps the biggest question everybody had and said Riley didn't appear to be upset with the process that led the Sooners to join the SEC in July 2025.

"He was engaged in our thoughts about it," Castiglione said. "He was definitely on board with it. And in many conversations since that announcement was made, he continued to be very much on board with it. There wasn't any mention of unrest."

For whatever reason(s), Riley was no longer intrigued about leading Oklahoma, but the school is bound to have a line out the door of candidates who are interested in succeeding the 38-year-old. Few schools have been as consistent on the gridiron over the last 50 or so years.

Still, moving to a new, more competitive conference outside of your geographic region isn't guaranteed to leave you in a better place than you were before. Just ask West Virginia, Nebraska and Maryland.

Quarterback Spencer Rattler announced Monday that he will enter the transfer portal:

The news comes after head coach Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma to take the same job at USC on Sunday.

Rattler entered 2021 as a Heisman Trophy contender but struggled with consistency, finishing the year with 1,483 passing yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions in nine appearances. He was benched in favor of true freshman Caleb Williams in October.

The quarterback was much better in his first season as a starter, leading the Big 12 with 3,031 passing yards, 28 passing touchdowns and a 172.6 passer efficiency rating. 

With a 70.1 career completion percentage, Rattler has displayed plenty of upside at the college level.

The Arizona native entered Oklahoma as a 5-star recruit, and he was the No. 1 pro-style quarterback prospect in the 2019 class in 247Sports' composite rankings. There will likely be a heavy bidding war for him, especially since he has up to three years of eligibility remaining.

The latest news also creates further problems for Oklahoma as it tries to move past Riley's departure.

Though Rattler's potential transfer could have been expected after he lost his starting job, the Sooners have also lost multiple top commitments in the past two days, per Tom VanHaaren of ESPN. 

It could create a significant challenge for the next coach as the Sooners try to remain a top contender.    

Lincoln Riley addressed his decision to leave Oklahoma and become the head coach at USC, calling it "probably the most difficult decision of my life."

Riley added that he accepted the Trojans' offer "based on my willingness to go take on a new challenge, and I felt like it was the right opportunity for me and my family to do that."

USC also shared a statement from Riley:

USC is planning to hold a press conference Monday at 6 p.m. ET, which will potentially see Riley face pointed questions asking for more insight into his thinking.

This move isn't necessarily unparalleled, but rarely does a head coach leave what Riley had in Norman, Oklahoma, for any other position at the college level.

The Sooners have been one of the most consistently successful programs in the country. 

They won 12 games in each of Riley's first three seasons and qualified for the College Football Playoff in 2018 and 2019. Before the 38-year-old arrived, Oklahoma failed to reach 10 wins just four times in Bob Stoops' 18 years at the sideline.

While Norman isn't the biggest draw in terms of recruiting, Riley basically had everything a coach could ask for. When he said he was "not going to be the next head coach at LSU" after OU's loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday, that seemed to be the final word on the matter.

Instead, the Texas native is leaving Oklahoma behind for what is effectively a rebuilding job at USC. The Trojans stagnated under Clay Helton, and they're likely at least two years away from being a serious national power again.

The one question on everybody's mind—and surely something he will be asked about on Monday—is how much the Sooners' eventual move to SEC motivated his decision.

Perhaps Oklahoma will continue to be a perennial playoff contender when it begins playing an SEC schedule, but the road to CFP will undoubtedly be more difficult. USC provides Riley with a more clear path if he can succeed where Helton failed in terms of bringing the best in-state talent to Los Angeles.

The Trojans might also provide more job security given how quickly things unraveled for Ed Orgeron and Dan Mullen at LSU and Florida, respectively.

Oklahoma is in a far better overall position, but it only needs to look to Nebraska to see how aligning with a more competitive conference and abandoning geographic rivalries can backfire in a big way.

Five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson announced his decommitment from Oklahoma on Sunday following the news that Lincoln Riley has taken the head coaching job at USC.

Nelson, a 6'3", 180-pound quarterback out of Los Alamitos, California, said in his announcement that he's not opening up his recruitment and just wants "to see how everything transpires."

Nelson committed to Oklahoma in July. He said one of the things that impacted his decision to join the Sooners was the coaching staff and "their ability to develop the QB position." 

Oklahoma has become a hot spot for 5-star quarterbacks over the last few years. Spencer Rattler entered in 2019, followed by Caleb Williams in 2021, and Nelson was the next in line for 2023. It's unclear what the future holds for the Sooners at the position.

The quarterback is the second overall recruit in the class of 2023 and the top recruit out of California, per 247Sports' composite rating. He is also the second-ranked quarterback behind Isidore Newman's Arch Manning.

In addition to Oklahoma, Nelson considered USC, Alabama, Arizona and Arizona State. It's reasonable to believe he'll reconsider joining the Trojans given Riley's hiring. 

The news of Riley's shocking decision to become the next head coach at USC broke Sunday afternoon. He had been head coach of the Sooners since 2017 and compiled a 55-10 record in his five seasons at the helm. Oklahoma won the Big 12 in his first four seasons as head coach, and he also led the team to three College Football Playoff appearances.

In addition to Nelson, Oklahoma lost commitments from 2023 5-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss (No. 9 in 247Sports' composite rating) and 2023 4-star running back Treyaun Webb (No. 96 in 247Sports' composite rating) on Sunday. Inniss said he was reopening his recruitment, while Webb said his decision to decommit from Oklahoma was "due to the recent changes." 

As well, 2022 5-star running back Raleek Brown told ESPN on Sunday, before Riley was announced as head coach of the Trojans, that the coach's decision would impact his recruitment.

"That changes everything," he said. "I had a good relationship with all [the Oklahoma coaches], so that will really change everything."

Like Nelson, USC was also of interest to Brown before he committed to Oklahoma, ESPN noted.

With several decommitments and other recruits likely weighing their options, Oklahoma is in for one of its biggest head coaching searches in school history, and a lot will ride on who the program selects to replace Riley.

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley will reportedly be the next head coach of the USC Trojans and will not coach the Sooners' upcoming bowl game, according to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman. 

Former Sooners head coach Bob Stoops is reportedly expected to be named interim head coach. 

According to Feldman, talks between Riley and USC "really escalated" Saturday night into Sunday morning.

"For Riley, it was the appeal of Los Angeles, the local recruiting talent and the opportunity of trying to rebuild a brand," Feldman wrote. "That was all very enticing to him. He was also impressed with the alignment of the administration."

Riley informed the team and his coaching staff of his decision on Sunday, per Feldman. Stoops was in attendance for that meeting. 

The news of Riley's decision comes after he vehemently denied rumors that he would be the next head coach at LSU following Oklahoma's 37-33 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday. 

The Sooners' loss to the Cowboys eliminated them from Big 12 title contention. They finished with a 10-2 record and third in the conference after losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Baylor. 

Riley had been head coach of the Sooners since 2017 and compiled a 55-10 record. The Sooners won the Big 12 in his first four seasons at the helm, and he also led the team to three College Football Playoff appearances.

Riley will replace Clay Helton at USC. Helton, who was fired in September, was in his seventh full season with the Trojans (he was the interim head coach for one game in 2013) before being canned just two games into the 2021 campaign. 

USC finished the 2021 season 4-7 and fourth in the Pac-12 South behind Utah, Arizona State and UCLA. 

Stoops, meanwhile, coached the Sooners from 1999-2016, compiling a 190-48 record in that span and a 9-9 record in bowl games. He hired Riley as his offensive coordinator in 2015 and pushed for him to be named the team's next head coach in 2017. 

Stoops has been working as a panelist for Fox Sports's college football team. According to 247Sports, he had been linked to USC and Florida's head coaching vacancies but expressed interest in remaining with Fox.