When Ted Roof arrived at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for the first time in December, one thing in particular caught his eye.
It wasn’t the bronze statues of hall of fame coaches Bud Wilkinson and Bob Stoops that surround the facility or the record seven Heisman trophies that line the hallways of the Barry Switzer Center. It was the 50 conference championships marked in crimson on the back of the stadium video board that captivated the 35-year veteran coach.
“Just as important as the great coaches and players, (it was) the great teams that certainly jumped out at me,” Roof, who had never been to Norman before being hired as OU’s defensive coordinator, said on Wednesday. “I understand the privilege and the responsibility that comes with that.”
That tradition is what led Roof to follow new coach Brent Venables from Clemson to Oklahoma after Lincoln Riley stunned the nation by leaving for Southern California. Venables’ strong leadership and track record made the decision easy.
The two worked together for just one season with the Tigers, but Roof quickly took note of the passion and care Venables shows his assistants and players. Being a defensive assistant, he had a front-row seat to some sterling moments and some rough ones during an up and down 10-3 season.
“How passionate and driven he is, the energy that he brings and how much he cares about those kids and pours into them and the staff as well,” Roof said of what stood out about Venables during their time at Clemson. “It was a guy that gave it all he had every day and that jumped out.”
A native of Lawrenceville, Georgia, Roof played linebacker at Georgia Tech and once recorded 25 tackles in a single game against Tennessee, the second-most in program history.
After college, he entered coaching as a graduate assistant at Alabama in 1987. Since then, he has coached at 13 different places, compiled a 6-45 head coaching record at Duke from 2004-7, and won a national championship as defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2010.
“I wanted a veteran presence for the defensive coordinator position,” Venables said. “And somebody that's also been around long enough that's going to be able to welcome a team effort.
“Ted brings a tremendous amount of knowledge, experience, wisdom and he’s got a great presence to him. He’s a great leader of people, he’s got a very low tolerance for anything but excellence.”
Roof last served as defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt in 2020, a season that saw the Commodores finish 0-9. When Venables offered him the Oklahoma job, Roof finally received an opportunity to prove that he can lead a defense again.
“When this opportunity was presented to me, I couldn’t say yes fast enough,” Roof said. “I’m so excited, humbled and appreciative to be here under the leadership of coach Venables and the tremendous history and tradition that the University of Oklahoma is known for throughout the country.”
While his career hadn’t taken him to Oklahoma until now, Roof has always admired Sooner legends from afar. He has known Stoops for more than 20 years, going back to his time as defensive coordinator at Florida and remembers once meeting Switzer. Perhaps his biggest connection to OU is his friendship with Jay Wilkinson, the son of Bud and a former All-American halfback at Duke.
Now that he’s in Norman, Roof has the opportunity to get OU’s defense back to where it once was under those legendary coaches. It helps that he and Venables brought defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis and co-defensive coordinator Todd Bates with them from Clemson.
Roof and his defensive staff helped Oklahoma finish as one of only two schools with a top 10 transfer and signing class for 2022 on Wednesday. They locked up four-star cornerback Gentry Williams, a Tulsa native, and flipped three-star edge rushers R. Mason Thomas and Kevonte Henry from Iowa State and Michigan, respectively.
For Roof, signing day was just the first step in helping Oklahoma compete for championships. The journeyman coach is as ready for the challenge as one can be.
“I have so much respect for the coaches and the players that have come through here before,” Roof said. “Wherever you go and whatever you do, you want to make an impact and you want to leave it better than where you found it.
“And at the same time, I’m excited about the opportunity to try to make it better. And again, I know because of the history of Oklahoma and all the great coaches, players, teams, tough-minded competitors that have built this place, there's a responsibility that goes with it and one I'm ready to embrace.”
