Oklahoma's Brent Venables takes $1 million pay cut for 2025 season, follows trend of coaches under pressure

Oklahoma's Brent Venables agreed to a new contract that includes a $1 million pay cut for the 2025 season, per USA Today. The salary reduction comes after a second losing season in three years to open Venables' tenure, making him the most embattled Sooners coach since John Blake logged consecutive sub-.500 campaigns in 1996 and 1997. Venables signed the amended contract in February.

The reduced salary is the only change to Venables' deal, which still runs through the 2029 season. Venables will haul in $7.55 million this year, down from the $8.55 million he was set to earn before the amendment. He is still scheduled to earn $8.65 million in 2026 and 2027, $8.75 million in 2028 and $8.85 million in 2029. The buyout remains unchanged, as well, and guarantees that Venables will secure the entirety of his scheduled salary if he is fired without cause.

That Venables' buyout is still intact is of particular import given his status as the Power Four coach facing the most pressure this season. CBS Sports' panel of voters concluded that Venables stands second only to Louisiana Tech's Sonny Cumbie on the hot seat, putting him in the "now or never" tier. If Oklahoma fires Venables this year, it would owe him $34.9 million to cover the final four years of his contract.

"It was initiated by Coach Venables as a one-time give-back to contribute to the department's revenue-sharing efforts," an Oklahoma athletics department spokesman said to USA Today.

Oklahoma putting the $1 million in savings towards its revenue-sharing program follows similar moves at other schools earlier this offseason. LSU's Brian Kelly announced at the end of the 2024 campaign that he would match $1 million in donations to the Tigers' NIL collective. At Florida State, Mike Norvell agreed to put $4.5 million of his salary towards a fundraising campaign, although he has the opportunity to make it back if the Seminoles perform well enough. And Mike Gundy chopped $1 million off his Oklahoma State salary with that money set to go towards revenue-sharing, as well.

Oklahoma fans can now pay an absurd price tag to attend postgame press conferences featuring Brent Venables

Cody Nagel

Venables enters Year 4 at Oklahoma at 22-17 for his head coaching career -- a mark that falls well short of expectations for what was a perennial national championship-contending program when he arrived. The Sooners picked up a No. 18 ranking in the Preseason AP Top 25 poll despite Venables finishing two of his first three years outside the top 25.

Roster changes, including the addition of quarterback John Mateer, could help the Sooners adapt to life in the SEC to a greater extent than in 2024. Better luck on the injury front would go a long way, too, in helping Oklahoma manage a daunting schedule after countless starters missed time last fall.