As soon as offensive coordinator Seth Littrell was fired last month, the rumor mill around the job has been in full swing.
One rumor that has persisted regarding the position was former Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen’s interest in the job. Mullen and Venables are good friends and have a well-established relationship and respect for each other. Indeed, Venables invited Mullen to speak at a coaching clinic the Sooners hosted last year, which has spawned a photo going around of the two with former Sooners’ legendary head coach Barry Switzer.
However, in his press conference Tuesday morning, Brent Venables quickly shut down that particular rumor after being asked point-blank about Mullen.
The key part of Venables’s answer was “I reached out to him [Mullen] a year ago.”
What happened a year ago? Then offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby was hired away to be the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and the Sooners underwent a search for an offensive coordinator.
Venables reached out to Mullen about their offensive coordinator position last season, and Mullen turned the position down. If he turned it down following a 10-2 season going into Oklahoma’s first season in the SEC, why would he take it now following this season?
Oklahoma ultimately landed on Seth Littrell, who proved to be a disaster rather quickly. Mullen assuredly would have been a better hire, but he turned the position down already.
In his own words, Mullen wants to be a head coach again. He makes plenty of money at ESPN in a cushy analyst role to sustain himself, and he is still getting coaching interest despite not coaching for several years. He is waiting for the right head coach position.
In my mind, Venables effectively shut down the discussions surrounding Mullen at his press conference on Tuesday. The Sooners have plenty of other interested candidates for their offensive coordinator position that feel like much more realistic options now.
It is good to hear that Venables is undergoing a more thorough search this season instead of relying on his friends and buddies to take up the position. That’s the right process for a position that he absolutely has to nail.
