A look at how Brent Venables defensive recruiting stacks up vs. team recruiting rankings over the last decade
A lot has been made of the Oklahoma Sooners’ current ranking in the 2023 cycle. They’re currently No. 35 in the team recruiting rankings over at 247Sports after picking up a commitment from linebacker Phil Picciotti on the Fourth of July.
We’ve preached patience as recruiting classes aren’t built in June or July, and the Oklahoma Sooners and the rest of the country are still eight months away from national signing day. Recall that Brent Venables needed two months on the job at OU to take the Sooners recruiting class from No. 28 in the country after Lincoln Riley left to a class that finished No. 8 in the country for the 2022 cycle.
That’s pretty good. Now imagine what he’ll be able to accomplish with a full year to recruit for the 2023 class.
With Venables, the Sooners recruiting classes will be more marathon vs. sprint in the race for the nation’s top recruits. The Sooners would prefer their players not to visit other teams after they commit, so players trending to Oklahoma will not likely commit until they’ve gone through their entire process. This means the Sooners may not do well in May or June of a recruiting cycle, but July and August should be fruitful months full of commitments to Oklahoma.
However, there’s been some question about how well Venables can recruit. So, I took a look back at the last decade, predominantly from his time at Clemson to see how well he performed relative to the rest of the country. Taking the average score for the commits on the defensive side of the ball for each class over the last decade, we compared that average rating with the average team score for the rest of the country to see how they compared.
If Clemson’s recruiting class in 2018, 2020, or 2021 had been strictly defensive players, the Tigers would have finished with the highest average among their commitments. Those classes were all top 10, but team recruiting rankings are based on a total score, not an average, so they finished seventh, third, and fifth instead of No. 1.
Here is a synopsis of what we’re looking at here.
The comparison is Brent Venables defensive recruiting classes on average using the 247Sports composite rating for each player in the class and comparing that to the team recruiting rankings from 247Sports.
Removed Clemson’s 2012 recruiting class as Venables was just getting started with the Tigers.
I allowed Venables to get partial credit for both Clemson and Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting classes. He was a big part of Clemson’s 2022 recruiting cycle but wasn’t there to finish it and the class would have been better had Jaren Kanak not flipped. Conversely, he was a huge part of recovering Oklahoma’s 2022 class after Lincoln Riley left, but several players were also recruited under the previous regime.
Venables’ defense has helped quite a few players get selected in the top 100 of the NFL draft over the last decade, and there’s little doubt he’s going to help Oklahoma defenders hear their names called early in future NFL drafts.
Of course, Venables isn’t solely responsible for how well a recruiting class turns out. Dabo Swinney played a big part in that too and so Venable’s defensive assistants. But as the defensive coordinator, the buck stopped with Brent Venables. He’d be responsible for how well or poorly they recruited.
2022 Oklahoma Sooners
April 23, 2022; Norman; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables reacts during the spring game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Class Avg: 90.83
Rank: 8th
Top Defensive Commit: Gentry Williams, CB
2022 Clemson Tigers
Clemson cornerback Jeadyn Lukus warms up at a spring practice. KEN RUINARD / USA Today / USA TODAY NETWORK
Defensive Class Avg: 90.12
Rank: 10th
Top Defensive Commit: Jeadyn Lukus, CB
2021 Clemson Tigers
Dec 29, 2021; Orlando, Florida, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Brannon Spector (13) passes the ball under pressure from Clemson Tigers linebacker Barrett Carter (0) during the second half of the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Class Avg: 95.83
Rank: 1st
Top Defensive Commit: Barrett Carter, LB
2020 Clemson Tigers
KEN RUINARD / USA Today / USA TODAY NETWORK
Defensive Class Avg: 94.08
Rank: 1st
Top Defensive Commit: Bryan Breese, DT
2019 Clemson Tigers
Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. (23) reacts after tackling Georgia Tech freshman Jahmyr Gibbs (1) during the fourth quarter in Clemson, S.C., Sept. 18, 2021. KEN RUINARD / USA Today / USA TODAY NETWORK
Defensive Class Avg: 90.06
Rank: 10th
Top Defensive Commit: Andrew Booth, CB
2018 Clemson Tigers
Clemson defensive end Xavier Thomas pressures Boston College quarterback Dennis Grosel earlier this season at Memorial Stadium. KEN RUINARD / USA Today / USA TODAY NETWORK
Defensive Class Avg: 94.24
Rank: 1st
Top Defensive Commit: Xavier Thomas, DE
2017 Clemson Tigers
Sept. 14, 2019; Syracuse, New York; Clemson Tigers cornerback A.J. Terrell (8) breaks up a pass intended for Syracuse Orange wide receiver Taj Harris (80) during the first quarter at the Carrier Dome. Defensive offsides was called on the play. Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Class Avg: 91.86
Rank: 5th
Top Defensive Commit: A.J. Terrell, CB
2016 Clemson Tigers
Clemson defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (90) pressures Pittsburgh running back Darrin Hall (22) during the 1st quarter of the Dr. Pepper ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. BART BOATWRIGHT/Staff
Defensive Class Avg: 91.34
Rank: 5th
Top Defensive Commit: Dexter Lawrence
2015 Clemson Tigers
Clemson defensive lineman Christian Wilkins (42) celebrates a defensive stand with Florida State during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson in 2015. Independent Mail file, The Greenville News via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Defensive Class Avg: 87.74
Rank: 18th
Top Defensive Commit: Christian Wilkins
2014 Clemson Tigers
Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables of the Clemson Tigers reacts after South Carolia State scored during the first half during the game at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 7, 2013 in Clemson, South Carolina. Tyler Smith/Getty Images
Defensive Class Avg: 86.55
Rank: 25th
Top Defensive Commit: Korie Rogers, OLB
2013 Clemson Tigers
Nov. 28, 2015; Columbia, South Carolina; Clemson Tigers cornerback Mackensie Alexander (2) blocks the pass intended for South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver D.J. Neal (3) during the first half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Class Avg: 88.23
Rank: 18th
Top Defensive Commit: Mackensie Alexander, CB
Average for Last 10 years
April 23, 2022; Norman; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables reacts during the spring game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
2013-2021: 90.53
Including 2022 Clemson: 90.49
Including 2022 Oklahoma: 90.56
Including Both Oklahoma and Clemson for 2022: 90.52
