Where did ESPN rank Brent Venables as a player?
Where did ESPN rank Brent Venables as a player?
The time of year when college football fans are hankering for college football but have little recruiting or transfer-portal news to keep up with always produces some engaging offseason content. Way off-season.
Over at ESPN, college football analyst Adam Rittenberg put together a tier list of every FBS coach ranked by how good that coach was in college. More specifically, he put coaches into tiers that appear largely unranked, then capped the list with a top 30.
So, where does Oklahoma's Brent Venables fit in? Not as high as Tennessee's Josh Heupel, but not in a bad landing spot. The Sooners coach slotted into the "Pre-portal transfers" tier. That tier ranks sixth of eight, though, again, differentiating between the middle tiers is a matter of perspective.
Venables fit there because he began his career at Garden City Community College, becoming a JUCO All-American in 1990. From there, he transferred in-state to play for his mentor, Bill Snyder, at Kansas State. In Manhattan, Venables earned All-Big Eight honorable mention status his senior year after logging 114 tackles.
No other SEC coach was among the nine remaining in that tier. The top-30 rankings yielded five Southeastern Conference head coaches. At the top, of course, former Sooners Heisman Trophy winner Josh Heupel.
He immediately made his presence known in 1999 with 3,850 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. Heupel then led the Sooners to a national title in 2000, recording 3,606 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. He was named AP Player of the Year, won the Walter Camp Award and consensus All-America honors, and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. - Rittenberg, ESPN
Oklahoma and Tennessee meet on the field with Heupel and Venables roaming the sidelines in Knoxville on November 1 this fall. Last year, Heupel's Volunteers won the matchup in Norman, 25-15.
For those with a curious bit of state pride, four coaches with ties to the Sooner State ranked in the top 30. Purdue's Barry Odom (Ada) ranked 24th, Arkansas' Sam Pittman (Grove) ranked 21st, and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy (Midwest City) ranked fifth.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
36 minutes ago
- USA Today
30 Most Important Eagles of 2025: No. 29 Azeez Ojulari
Every day from now until the start of training camp, we're counting down our 30 Most Important Eagles for the 2025 season. The Philadelphia Eagles are gearing up for Super Bowl defense, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. Several players, coaches, and front-office members are crucial to the team's success this season. Every day from now until the start of training camp, we're counting down our 30 Most Important Eagles for the 2025 season. We'll recap their 2024 season, look ahead to 2025, and tackle the most significant question facing them this year. Next up is Azeez Ojulari, a former Georgia Bulldog and Giants draft pick who has the talent to post double-digit sacks in his first year with the Eagles. Background Position: OLB Age: 25 Experience: 5-year vet 2025 cap hit: $1,672,000 2024 recap The 6-foot-3, 250-pound player posted six sacks in 11 games in the 2024 season. 2025 outlook At just 24 years old, the savvy edge rusher has a chance to make an impact for Philadelphia within Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme. The pass rusher has been up and down, but when he's up, Ojulari can be impressive. Ojulari was the odd man out to start last season, playing just 37 percent of the defensive snaps and logging only one sack in the first five games. After Thibodeaux suffered a wrist injury, that opened the door for Ojulari. The 24-year-old made the most of his return to the starting lineup with five sacks in three games and finished the season with eight. Biggest question: Can Ojulari replace Josh Sweat's production? Like Josh Uche, Ojulari could cash out with a big season rushing the passer in Philadelphia. In his first year in the league, he broke the Giants' record for sacks by a rookie with eight. In four years in the NFL, Ojulari has compiled 37 QB hits, 22 sacks, and 21 tackles for loss in 46 games. This time last year, Zack Baun quietly signed a one-year deal with the Eagles after exiting New Orleans with unfulfilled potential and a desire to be a starter. Fast forward, Baun switched positions and earned a starting role, Pro Bowl, and All-Pro honors while becoming a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Baun turned that into a three-year deal, and Ojulari could cash out similarly. 30 Most Important Eagles of 2025 We're counting down our 30 Most Important Eagles of 2025. Check back every day leading up to the start of training camp. No. 30 OL Kendall Lamm, No. 29 Azeez Ojulari
USA Today
40 minutes ago
- USA Today
Where Wisconsin star John Tonje lands in CBS' latest NBA draft top 100 player ranking
"It was just a surreal year, and I learned so much from playing with the Badgers."Former @BadgerMBB star John Tonje stopped by the studio to discuss his future and memorable season in Madison.#B1GMBBall x @johntonje1 Wisconsin basketball star wing John Tonje is likely to hear his name called during the 2025 NBA draft later this week. Notably, ESPN's latest mock draft recently slotted the now-former Badger No. 42 overall to the Sacramento Kings. CBSSports forecasts a similar pick range -- it has Tonje at No. 44 in its current ranking of the draft's top 100 prospects. The sixth-year senior averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Badgers in 2024-25. He reached that point total on 46.5% shooting from the field, 39% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line. Those tallies earned him First-Team All-America honors from the Wooden Award, a Second-Team All-America selection from nearly every other outlet and a consensus First-Team All-Big Ten selection. There is a question of how Tonje's top-end college production will translate to the NBA level, especially at his older age of 24. Enough NBA teams seem sold on that translation, as the 6-foot-5 wing's draft stock has steadily improved since the season's conclusion. His strong NBA combine performance and several notable workouts played major roles. Tonje is likely to hear his name called on Day 2 of the NBA draft on Friday. When he does, he'll become the first Badger selected since Johnny Davis went No. 10 overall to the Washington Wizards in 2022, and the second since Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker each went in the first round in 2015. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
TJ McConnell's mom has tense moment with ESPN crew in gutting NBA Finals scene
TJ McConnell's mom, Shelly, wasn't having it when ESPN cameras filmed the Pacers guard crying in her arms after Indiana's loss to the Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. ESPN cameras followed McConnell into the tunnel at OKC's Paycom Center, where his mother was waiting to console him privately after Indiana's103-91 defeat at the hands of OKC. 'Stop!' Shelly said as she put her hand up to the camera. The camera followed the mother-son duo as they walked arm-in-arm down the hallway. McConnell kept his head down and on Shelly's shoulder as she kept telling the camera person to stop filming. 3 TJ McConnell's mom, Shelly told ESPN cameras to stop filming the Pacers guard crying in her arms after Indiana's loss to the Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, June 22, 2025. X 3 TJ McConnell's mom, Shelly consoled him after Indiana's loss to the Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, June 22, 2025. X 3 TJ McConnell's mom, Shelly wasn't having it when ESPN cameras filmed the Pacers guard crying in her arms after Indiana's loss to the Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, June 22, 2025. X Eventually, they backed off. McConnell also received support from Pacers alum Reggie Miller, who was waiting to console the team in the back hallways at Paycom Center. The veteran guard — who stepped when Tyrese Haliburton went down with an Achilles injury — was crying in Miller's arms, as seen in a social media video. McConnell finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. The Pacers will be faced with a decision at the point guard position if Haliburton misses the entirety of the 2025-26 season. McConnell proved himself a worthy candidate with his strong performacne in the Pacers' postseason run, which included upsets of the Cavaliers and Knicks, and came up one win short of a championship.
