Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables knows Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel as well as anyone in the industry.
Venables was Oklahoma's defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2011. He was an assistant in Norman during Heupel's two years as a player (including the 2000 season when OU won the national championship). And he served alongside Heupel as an assistant coach for seven seasons.
Suffice it to say, Venables and Heupel have plenty of memories together that center on their time at Oklahoma.
On Tuesday, Venables spoke at length about Heupel and his impact on Oklahoma as a player and as a coach.
Venables' comments on Heupel line up with what we've heard from numerous former Oklahoma players/coaches over the years. He spoke about Heupel's unique leadership qualities and his ability to bring people together -- attributes that Tennessee fans have seen in Heupel over the last couple of years.
The third year Oklahoma head coach started his comments about Heupel by describing the first time he met the future Heisman runner up.
"We didn't know anything about Josh, but he was outside of the office window," said Venables when describing Heupel's first visit to Oklahoma. "There's a quarterback, he's on a visit, and there's maybe two guys on a visit, and he was one of them. And he was outside -- we had an old turf field down there -- he was playing catch. And again, I'm saying this with incredible appreciation and respect for Josh, couldn't have been more wrong. Don't judge a book by its cover. He was skinny and just frail. And it was in the middle of winter. [Heupel was] just kind of pasty. And the ball was coming off -- he was a southpaw, probably hadn't played in a couple months -- and the ball was wobbly. You know, Josh could occasionally do that. And we're like, 'that ain't it'. And (Mike) Leach (then OU's offensive coordinator), he didn't want to bring Akili Smith (who was viewed as the better prospect) in on a visit. No, not interested. And so, a lesson learned."
"But Josh, amazing, work ethic and humility, same guy every day. Didn't try to be anybody that he wasn't. Incredible humility, respect for his teammates. But he bridged, and I don't know what the culture was like before we got here, so it's not really fair for me to say that he changed it other than there was some brokenness. He brought people together, and he was able to relate to people regardless of where they come from. And that's a cool thing about a locker room, but sometimes it's not easy to get it to mesh [with] everybody from all the different backgrounds and whatnot. But it was for him. And he led the way offense to defense. One of his best friends was Torrance Marshall, and still is to this day. And if you know Torrance, he went to South Dade High School in South Miami. And, of course, Josh is from Aberdeen. They couldn't have come from two completely different environments. And to watch those guys pretty quickly bond, and become friends and help the locker room, amongst others, there were plenty of guys that helped create a culture. But Josh led the way. He's always been a leader. And again, he's always had this innate ability to have great poise, great focus, but also have some fun. You know that competitive balance that allows you to be loose and confident and precise."
Venables also spoke about Heupel's legacy at Oklahoma, noting that this game between Tennessee and Oklahoma is one of those times when you "put the logo aside".
"There can't be someone with a stronger legacy," said Venables. "He's a national championship [quarterback]. And timing is everything. And there was a period where Oklahoma hadn't had a winning season for, I don't know how many years in a row. Was it five straight years of not going to a bowl game? And [Heupel's] first year going 7 and 5. And then out of nowhere to go 13 and 0. And several games within that year, Oklahoma was an underdog. Or had to come from behind in those games where you really felt Sooner magic was reignited. And he was a catalyst of that. And people won't forget that. And that is, as we all know, one of the coolest things about college football -- it brings so much joy. You reflect on so many moments that enriches your life. Because of those moments of success and winning and overcoming, we all feel like we were a part of that."
"Make no mistake, Oklahoma fans are going to want to see Coach Heupel take a loss on Saturday night," continued Venables. "And there will be no one that feels bad if they (Tennessee) don't do well, we know that. But people pull for people. And I think this is one of those times that you put the logo aside. He's got an amazing legacy at this university. And sometimes, God, you know, his way's the right way, even though we don't understand it. And we make a hard right hand turn and he's got something better for you. And that's exactly what happened for Josh and his family."
You don't see head coaches often speak at length during a weekly press conference about the opposing head coach in that manner. Venables doesn't just have a lot of respect for Heupel, it's obvious that he was impacted by Heupel (and that goes both ways...Heupel acknowledged this week the impact that Venables had on him as a player and as a coach).
A lot has been made this week about Heupel and his relationship with former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops. And that's understandable -- Stoops firing Heupel from OU in early 2015 is the big storyline surrounding this game. But Heupel's relationship with Oklahoma is so much more than a dark day in early 2015. It's the recruiting trip, the time with Mike Leach, Brent Venables, and teammates. It's a national championship run. It's Josh Heupel becoming a father in Norman during his time as an assistant. Those are things that are likely on Heupel's mind this week as he returns to the place where his football career was born.
Related: Brent Venables points out Tennessee player who 'plays with an edge'; makes big statement about key position group for UT
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