Lincoln Riley leaving Oklahoma for USC meant sweeping changes at OU. It’s led to an overhaul of the defensive coaching staff.
Of course, Brent Venables is Oklahoma’s new head coach, but Ted Roof, Miguel Chavis and Brandon Hall are also in as defensive coaches.
Roof is Oklahoma’s new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Chavis will coach defensive ends and Hall is set to coach safeties.
In the process, OU’s set of assistant coaches from this 2021 season were left to find other opportunities. Defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux is off to coach at SMU and linebackers coach Brian Odom and outside linebackers and defensive ends coach Jamar Cain are joining Riley at USC.
All three are returning to help Oklahoma finish its season in the Valero Alamo Bowl against Oregon on Dec. 29, though.
“I really appreciate Calvin Thibodeaux, Brian Odom and Jamar Cain came back to help our guys finish. They’ve been in the office working on game plan. They want to finish this with a win and help our players get an opportunity to win so appreciate that,” interim head coach Bob Stoops said.
Stoops announced last week that Odom would serve as Oklahoma’s defensive play-caller. It’s something that’s not lost on the players either.
Senior linebacker DaShaun White explained how much it meant to him to have Odom return against Oregon.
“Words couldn’t, you know, put it or I couldn’t even really express how much I appreciate him. Just him really taking the high road here and doing something that he really doesn’t have to do. I think that just speaks about his character and who he is as a person, which is something that we’ve all known here for a long time. Excited to be able to play for him. Thankful that he would step in and do this for us and just how selfless he is and how willing he is to take on such a big,…
..
