What Do Oklahoma's New Linebacker Coaches Bring to Staff?

Linebacker coaches Nate Dreiling and Wes Goodwin bring different approaches to the Sooners' coaching staff.

Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

NORMAN — When OU coach Brent Venables took over the defensive play-calling duties in the offseason, he made reinforcements to his defensive staff.

Venables hired Wes Goodwin and Nate Dreiling to be the Sooners’ outside and inside linebackers coaches, respectively. Goodwin served with Venables when he was Clemson’s defensive coordinator from 2012-2021, while Dreiling was Utah State’s interim head coach for the entire 2024 season.

While Venables acknowledged that Goodwin and Dreiling are very different coaches, he expects them to be similarly effective at OU.

“Just two fantastic football coaches with great, great careers,” Venables said in March. “Different sample sizes, but they’ve represented excellence.”

Wes Goodwin

Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin | Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

Goodwin was a senior defensive analyst for the Tigers from 2018-2021, Venables’ final four seasons at Clemson. Once Venables took the OU job, Goodwin was promoted to defensive coordinator.

Goodwin’s three-year stint as defensive coordinator started exceptionally. The Tigers finished in the top 10 nationally in sacks, tackles for loss and yards allowed per carry in 2022, his first season at the role. In 2023, Clemson ranked eighth in the nation in total defense, allowing 287.8 yards per game.

In his final season at Clemson, Goodwin helped the Tigers win the ACC Championship and reach the College Football Playoff. The Tigers finished 10th nationally with 26 takeaways and averaged 6.9 tackles for loss per game.

Goodwin was fired after the 2024 season and subsequently joined OU’s staff.

“Incredibly highly qualified, and he did a fantastic job while he was at Clemson,” Venables said. “Every year they had different things that they achieved.”

Goodwin primarily works with OU’s cheetahs. (The cheetah position is a hybrid between linebacker and defensive back).

Nate Dreiling

Utah State interim coach Nate Dreiling | Troy Babbitt-Imagn Images

Dreiling is only 34 years old and has quickly risen up the coaching ranks.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Kansas in 2016. From there, he joined the staff at Division II Pittsburg State before becoming the Gorillas’ defensive coordinator in 2018.

Oregon hired Dreiling as a defensive analyst in 2020, and the coach later landed the defensive coordinator job at New Mexico State in 2022. 

After that, Utah State hired him as defensive coordinator in 2024. But due to then-head coach Blake Anderson’s firing ahead of the season, Dreiling assumed the head-coaching role. The Aggies went 4-8 with Dreiling as the interim coach.

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Dreiling agreed to become Arkansas State’s defensive coordinator in January, but a few weeks later, he joined Venables’ staff instead.

"He's just a winner,” Venables said. “Everything he’s done, he’s won.”

Dreiling had never coached with Venables before joining OU’s staff. Because of that, his approach has been different from some of the Sooners’ other defensive coaches.

“I love the energy he brings, kind of a younger guy from not the Venables tree,” linebacker Kobie McKinzie said. “For me, that’s exciting to have. The drills that we do, the way that he coaches, he teaches you a lot of different techniques. For me, that was good to hear.”

How do the coaches mesh?

Utah State interim coach Nate Dreiling | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Linebacker Sammy Omosigho said that Goodwin and Dreiling’s styles are much different but blend well together.

“Those two guys are amazing, fit together like PB&J,” Omosigho said.

Omosigho described Dreiling as youthful and energetic while describing Goodwin as “straightforward.”

“Coach Dreiling? I call him the peanut butter,” Omosigho said. “He’s a guy that is more lively and jokes and everything. Then you have coach Goodwin, he’s on his Ps and Qs every time.

“Those two guys have such diverse styles to the game of football.”

Omosigho is competing for the middle linebacker spot with McKinzie after primarily playing at cheetah — a hybrid between linebacker and defensive back — in 2024.

The dueling coaching styles have been helpful to Omosigho as he’s attempted a position switch.

“Coach Dreiling on the details and in the film room,” McKinzie said. “And Coach Goodwin all over the field, all over the place, just helping us out making us better players as linebackers.”