Brent Venables reveals why he gave back $1 million of salary for 2025 season

Brent Venables starts each game by walking arm-in-arm with his Oklahoma Sooners players as they enter the field together. This gesture clearly symbolizes the team’s unity and solidarity.

Demonstrating his commitment to his principles, the Sooners' head football coach in his fourth year, Venables, voluntarily agreed to reduce his 2025 salary by $1 million to support Oklahoma’s revenue-sharing initiatives earlier this summer, ahead of a crucial offseason. Venables’s 2025 salary is now set at $7.55 million, as per documents obtained by USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz.

After Saturday’s 35-3 season-opening victory over Illinois State, Venables discussed his decision to make such a substantial financial sacrifice, referencing the new era in college athletics where programs can distribute up to $20.5 million to student-athletes in the first football season following the approval of the House v. NCAA settlement in June.

“I did it because I believe it was the right thing to do. I’ve had a very fortunate career, far beyond what I deserve, and I want to help Oklahoma succeed,” Venables said Saturday. “I just think it’s right. The players deserve that. Everything’s different than it was 5, 10, 15 years ago. So it’s a small gesture, but I wanted to send a message to our players and other donors too. I know how much that can help. And I do feel like it might have. The buy-in is there, it’s not one-sided, it’s all of us together.

“If we’re going to be successful, it’s going to take the whole program, our fans, our fanbase – who are just amazing – our administration, our players, our coaches. It’s going to be all of us together moving forward.”

Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione told SoonerScoop’s George Stoia III last Friday that Venables first proposed the idea in February of making a one-time financial contribution to the team’s rev-share fund as the football program went through a significant offseason, during which the Sooners added over 20 players from the NCAA Transfer Portal, including star quarterback John Mateer from Washington State.

“It went to rev-share, and we got it all paid out before July 1st,” Venables explained. “I think that was an important part of it, so we could ensure we get the players we need, take care of the guys in our locker room first and foremost, and then get the players we needed.”

Venables is not the only FBS coach to allocate part of his salary to rev-share. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy had his salary reduced by $1 million to aid rev-share, and Florida State coach Mike Norvell is reportedly planning to contribute $4.5 million of his salary towards those efforts in Tallahassee.

“Obviously, things have changed, and it’s about time. … And it’s not going back,” Venables concluded. “So, we’re in a pretty good place right now. And I think leadership is understanding where we need to be and how we need to move forward to ensure stability and consistency in our program, and similar aspects.”