OU football head coach Brent Venables’ contract extension details were released Friday morning, which the OU Daily obtained.
Venables agreed to a six-year, $63 million — roughly $10.5 million per year — deal in August. The new deal extends his term of employment to Jan. 31, 2032. He will make $10 million in 2026, the first year of his contract.
His contract extension was approved at an OU Board of Regents meeting in September, but the buyout was just released. According to documents obtained by the Daily, OU would have to pay $51.67 million over five years if it decided to move on from Venables after the 2026 season.
The buyout would have been $26.2 million after this season, if they did not agree to the extension.
Here are the full buyout details, if fired after each year:
• 2026: $51.67 million
• 2027: $41.67 million
• 2028: $31.67 million
• 2029: $21.67 million
• 2030: $5.83 million
• 2031: $0.83 million
Venables’ performance bonuses changed as well. He will not be receiving a bonus for making or winning bowl games, but, rather, he will receive a $500,000 bonus for making the College Football Playoff and for each playoff win he earns.
Here are his full performance bonuses:
• $125,000 for participation in the conference championship game (or $250,000 for winning it)
• $500,000 for College Football Playoff participation and $500,000 for each CFP win (bye counts as a win)
• $35,000 for being named conference coach of the year
• $75,000 for being named national coach of the year (AP, AFCA and/or Home Depot/ESPN)
• $25,000 annually for a team GPA of 3.0 or higher in any semester
Venables led OU to an upset win over Texas in the Sooners’ last game, and they are set to play No. 15 Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
