Who Could Oklahoma Hire as Offensive Coordinator?

Oklahoma started the search for a new offensive coordinator Monday.

Ben Arbuckle was fired following OU’s 42-25 loss to South Carolina.

The Sooners are 4-4 overall and 2-3 in SEC play, and the offense ranks 108th in scoring, 128th in rushing, 66th in passing and 111th in total offense.

Venables initially tasked current Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby with heading up his offense in 2022, but he’s had to fire Seth Littrell and now Arbuckle at midseason over the past three years.

Here are some candidates that Venables could look at to turn things around in 2027.

Northwestern OC Chip Kelly

Northwestern Wildcats, Chip Kelly — Northwestern Wildcats offensive coordinator Chip Kelly watches players before a game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the Sooners don’t end up hiring Chip Kelly, they could very well look to replicate Kelly’s situation.

Kelly, 62, has tons of experience as a head coach, but considering changes to college sports and his unwillingness to recruit, Kelly left his post as UCLA’s head coach to serve as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator.

He helped the Buckeyes win a national title before trying his hand one more time at the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Kelly was the first scapegoat in Pete Carroll’s failed tenure with the Raiders, and Kelly landed at Northwestern in his return to college football.

Northwestern is tied for 34th in scoring offense, ranks 27th in total offense, 24th in rushing and 58th in passing offense. As a result of Kelly’s offensive turnaround, the Wildcats are 6-2 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play, and Northwestern is receiving votes in the AP Poll after finishing 7-6 last year.

Kelly’s history as both a head coach and offensive coordinator would allow Venables to leave the operation of the offense to Kelly so he can continue his role as both head coach and defensive coordinator.

Oregon State OC Mitch Dahlen

Oregon State, Mitch Dahlen — Oregon State co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mitch Dahlen runs drills during fall camp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

On the younger end of the spectrum, Oregon State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mitch Dahlen will be a hot name this offseason.

He’s in his first year with the Beavers after working closely under Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Dahlen, 35, served as assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach for the Crimson Tide from 2024-25, a role he held at Washington from 2022-23 and Fresno State from 2020-21.

Dahlen also worked as Boise State’s assistant wide receivers and quarterbacks coach in 2018 and as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the College of Idaho starting in 2016 until he left for Boise State.

The Beavers are tied with LSU for seventh in scoring offense, are fourth in total offense and first in passing offense, but Oregon State is 103rd in rushing offense.

Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson is a sophomore, but like John Mateer, has no experience against elite college football defenses after starting his career at Mercer in 2025.

Texas State HC GJ Kinne

Texas State, GJ Kinne — Texas State Bobcats head coach GJ Kinne walks on the sidelines during the game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Poaching sitting head coaches from the non-Power 4 level has been a popular move in the modern era of college football.

Texas State head coach GJ Kinne has ties back to the state after finishing his collegiate career at Tulsa.

Kinne, 37, had stops at SMU and Arkansas under Chad Morris, as well as with the Philadelphia Eagles as a graduate assistant and offensive analyst before landing his first offensive coordinator gig at Hawaii in 2020.

He then served as UCF’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Gus Malzahn (he also worked with Dillon Gabriel) before taking the head coaching job at Incarnate Word.

Kinne has run the Texas State program since 2023.

Texas State is 13th in scoring offense, seventh in total offense, 36th in passing offense and sixth in rushing offense.

Houston OC Slade Nagle

Houston offensive coordinator Slade Nagle has experience in the SEC, though not as a playcaller.

He was LSU’s special teams coordinator in 2009, and was the Tigers’ special teams coordinator and tight ends coach in 2024.

Nagle, 46, joined Willie Fritz’s Tulane staff as tight ends coach in 2016, and in 2023 he was elevated to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

He reunited with Fritz at Houston, where he has called plays for the last two years.

Currently, the Cougars rank 20th in scoring offense, 12th in total offense, 20th in rushing offense and 27th in passing offense.

Nagle got his start in coaching back in 2002 as a graduate assistant at Northwestern State.

Wake Forest OC Rob Ezell

Wake Forest offensive coordinator Rob Ezell is 37 years old and has done a nice job with the Demon Deacons.

After walking on at Alabama, he got his start as a student assistant with the Crimson Tide in 2011 (he might be more famous for his Nick Saban impersonations). He then was a graduate assistant at Colorado State from 2012-14 before returning to Tuscaloosa to continue as a GA and an analyst from 2015-20.

In 2021, he joined South Alabama’s staff as tight ends coach, and he was elevated to South Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2024.

In 2025, he was hired by Jake Dickert at Wake Forest.

South Alabama averaged 34.4 points and 441.8 yards per game under Ezell, which helped him get the job with the Demon Deacons.

Wake Forest currently ranks ninth in scoring offense, 16th in total offense, 47th in rushing offense and 17th in passing offense.

Illinois OC Barry Lunney Jr.

Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny has seen Barry Lunney Jr.'s work firsthand.

Lunney, 52, is in his fifth season at Illinois after joining from UTSA.

The former Arkansas quarterback started as a graduate assistant for the Razorbacks from 1998-99. He worked at Tulsa for three years and San Jose State for two years before taking a step down to work as Bentonville High School’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2005-12.

He then joined the Razorbacks’ staff as tight ends coach from 2013-18. In 2019, he added special teams duties to his role as tight ends coach, and he was named the interim head coach after Chad Morris was dismissed in Fayetteville.

Lunney coached for two years as associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UTSA.

The Illinois offense isn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard this season, however. It ranks 65th in scoring offense, 62nd in total offense, 61st in rushing offense and 67th in passing offense.

But Denny did work closely with the football program at Illinois.

James Madison OC Cam Aiken

An offensive mind with ties to Brent Venables is James Madison offensive coordinator Cam Aiken.

Aiken, 37, was an offensive intern with Clemson from 2011-13, where he first crossed paths with Venables when the OU head coach joined the Tigers as defensive coordinator in 2012.

Aiken left to join UAB as a graduate assistant in 2014, but he returned to Clemson from 2015-20 as a senior offensive assistant and an offensive player development staffer.

He left Clemson in 2021 to join USF as running backs coach and run game coordinator.

Aiken moved to Ole Miss from 2023-24 as an analyst, then took over as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2025.

This is Aiken’s first season at James Madison.

The Dukes rank 10th in scoring offense, 19th in total offense, 23rd in rushing offense and 42nd in passing offense.

Aiken would certainly be a long-shot candidate, but again, he is an offensive mind with connections to Venables.

Other Former Head Coaches

If the Sooners are not able to land Kelly or are uninterested in the Northwestern offensive coordinator, there are a handful of offensive minds who are former head coaches who could fit the mold of an experienced hand that Venables knows can run an offense.

The Sooners already have Kevin Wilson on staff, who is expected to help interim OC Jason Witten the rest of the season.

Former Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley was fired by Maryland earlier this year. Locksley had SEC stops at Florida and Alabama before returning to the Big Ten to lead the Terrapins.

Florida State’s dismissal of Mike Norvell could also be interesting, as Norvell was a respected offensive mind when he took over in Tallahassee.

Venables’ OC counterpart at Clemson was Tony Elliot, who is in the midst of a trying season at Virginia as well. If that job were to come open, there is plenty of familiarity with the former Clemson playcaller.

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