{
  "id": 2193991,
  "title": "OU football coach Brent Venables agrees to two-year contract extension",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/ou-football-coach-brent-venables-agrees-to-two-year-contract-extension",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-20T18:13:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ou-football-coach-brent-venables-181352611.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Norman, Oklahoma — Oklahoma football coach Brent Venables has reached a deal for a two-year contract extension with the university, according to a release on Thursday. The agreement will keep Venables in Norman until the 2031 season, with an average annual salary of $10.5 million. Athletic director Roger Denny praised Venables for building a strong culture throughout the entire program, not just within the locker room. Venables, who is 55 years old, has been in his fifth season as head coach of the Sooners. Last season, he led the team to its first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019, earning the No. 8 seed and hosting a first-round game. The contract extension comes with a $10.5 million average annual salary, as reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel. This is the second consecutive year OU has won 10 regular-season games under Venables. The team enters the current season ranked No. 9 in the preseason coaches poll and No. 10 in the AP poll. Venables, a former defensive coordinator at OU and Clemson, has participated in eight national championship games during his time with the two schools, winning titles with the Sooners in 2000 and with the Tigers in 2016 and 2018. The OU Board of Regents will meet on September 15-16 to finalize the new deal.",
  "summary": "Oklahoma football and Brent Venables have agreed to a two-year contract extension, keeping the head coach in Norman through 2031.",
  "key_points": [
    "Brent Venables extends contract for two more years with Oklahoma",
    "Average annual salary set at $10.5 million",
    "Leads Sooners to first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Oklahoma coach Brent Venables reportedly agrees to contract extension worth over $10 million per season",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/oklahoma-coach-brent-venables-reportedly-agrees-to-contract-extension",
        "published": "2026-08-20T18:15:42.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}