Brent Venables Criticizes Deion Sanders’ Roster Building Approach
In a series of interviews at Big 12 Media Days, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables expressed his disapproval of Colorado coach Deion Sanders’ controversial approach to roster building. Venables emphasized that he took a different approach in his first year in Norman, focusing on establishing standards, culture, and values within the team.
Venables stated, “We’re another year in establishing our standards and our culture and our values. That matters. A year ago, I challenged the guys. I wasn’t like Deion that gave guys a bunch of pink slips. I gave guys 12 months of grace to go to class, live right off the field, and show up with a great urgency and respect for your opportunity at the University of Oklahoma.”
Last season, Venables’ Oklahoma team had a disappointing 6-7 record, marking the program’s first losing season since 1998. However, Venables revealed that he helped 21 players find new homes after the season. He explained, “I gave guys 12 months of grace. I was unlike Deion. I gave guys 12 months of grace to figure it out. Here’s three: Go to class, live right off the field, and when you show up here, you show up with respect and appreciation for your opportunity. And if you go 0-for-3 for 12 months, you need a fresh start, so we helped 21 guys, give or take, find a fresh start.”
Venables attributed many of Oklahoma’s struggles to fatigue and highlighted specific instances where penalties and missed field goals cost them crucial points in close games. He also mentioned that his team dropped eight interceptions, which would have made them the national leader in that statistic.
Sanders’ roster building approach has faced criticism this offseason after he cut numerous players following Colorado’s spring game showcase on ESPN. New rules allow first-year coaches to cut players from their list of 85 scholarship players, as long as they offer them the opportunity to retain their scholarship and not participate in football activities.
Colorado began spring practice with 51 scholarship players from their 2022 team, but currently, only 10 remain. This drastic reduction in the roster size has raised concerns among coaches across the country. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi commented, “That’s not the way it’s meant to be. That’s not what the rule intended to be. It was not to overhaul your roster. We’ll see how it works out, but that, to me, looks bad on college football coaches across the country.”
In response to the criticism, Sanders defended his actions in an interview with 247Sports. He stated, “He’s not mad at me, he’s using me to shoot bullets at another coach who he has an issue with. I don’t know who he is; if he walked in here right now, I wouldn’t know him.”
The contrasting approaches of Venables and Sanders highlight the different philosophies coaches employ when it comes to roster management. While Venables emphasizes giving players an opportunity to improve and find their footing, Sanders believes in making swift changes to build a roster that aligns with his vision.
As the college football landscape continues to evolve, it remains to be seen which approach will prove more successful in the long run. However, it is clear that coaches like Venables and Sanders have distinct perspectives on how to build and shape their teams.