Why Michigan's Kyle Whittingham is 'Very Impressed' With Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables

Ever since the Sooners' head coach took his defensive staff to Utah for some tips, OU has been "humming along" under Venables.

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

ANN ARBOR, MI — First-year Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham perks up when he hears someone call Brent Venables a defensive genius.

It takes one to know one.

Whittingham and Venables match wits on Saturday when the Wolverines host Oklahoma in an 11 a.m. CT kickoff at Michigan Stadium.

Whittingham was head coach at Utah the previous 21 seasons, and during that time he rebranded the Utes from an entertaining, late-night, mid-major program to a defensive-oriented contender in the Big 12 Conference.

Whittingham, 66, was the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a linebacker at BYU and is the winningest coach in Utah history because the built the program on a strong foundation of defensive fundamentals and good special teams. Many of Whittingham’ offenses in Salt Lake City just seemed to fill in the gaps.

So naturally, Whittingham has a deep admiration for what Venables, 55, a linebacker with Kansas State, is trying to do at Oklahoma.

In fact, when Sooners On SI asked Whittingham at his weekly press conference on Monday in Schembechler Hall about Venables’ career-long reputation as a defensive wizard, Whitting revealed a recent interaction they had.

In 2023, after one year in the big chair in Norman in which OU finished 6-7, Venables brought some assistants with him on a stop in Salt Lake City, where they picked Whittington’s brain about defensive tips and tactics.

“We shared ideas with him for several hours,” Whittington said. “I got a lot of respect for him. Extremely intelligent. Personable. Charismatic. I was very impressed with him. 

“It surprises me not at all that he's in the program and just done this (trending up) since he’s got there. It was a rough start, but he’s now got it kind of humming along.”

The Sooners opened the season as a 2 1/2-point underdog to the Wolverines, but after the events of the past weekend, those tables have turned. FanDuel Sportsbook has installed OU as a 5 1/2-point favorite.

No. 10-ranked Oklahoma blasted UTEP 51-0 in their season opener on Friday in Norman, while No. 16 Michigan rallied to avoid a catastrophic loss to Western Michigan.

The Wolverines’ victory might feel hollow, though. After the Broncos knocked down a Hail Mary pass in the back of the end zone as time expired, Big Ten Conference officials decided to put one second on the game clock, allowing quarterback Bryce Underwood another chance to throw, and he connected with Utah transfer J.J. Buchanan for a controversial 13-12 win.

---

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.