The Oklahoma Sooners opened the biggest offensive coordinator opening in the SEC. All after OU and coach Brent Venables chose to sever ties with Ben Arbuckle. Such a move surely will impact recruiting, especially skill players who once saw Arbuckle’s system produce astonishing results.
Arbuckle was fired following the Sooners’ letdown 42-25 loss to South Carolina on Halloween. Oklahoma tallied 359 yards but averaged only 4.9 yards per play. Furthermore, quarterback John Mateer took three sacks on the evening.
Yet despite Arbuckle’s dismissal, OU and Venables received some stunning recruiting news.
High-Profile Recruit Still Considering Oklahoma?
The nation’s No. 3 athlete for the 2028 recruiting class Kamieon Compton-Nero announced his final five school choices.
Oklahoma managed to make the cut, despite Arbuckle’s firing. Hayes Fawcett of On3 confirmed OU’s appearance on Compton-Nero’s short list alongside SMU, Notre Dame, plus OU’s SEC rivals Ole Miss and Alabama.
Oklahoma can secure a massive local win here should OU pull off the miracle of winning over the state’s top-ranked prospect per every national recruiting outlet. Compton-Nero stars for Owasso High in Oklahoma and brings an intriguing mix of towering height (6-foot-3) and explosive long strides, both making him a mismatch on the field. He exploded as a national recruit by scoring 49 total touchdowns and tallied 3,335 yards from scrimmage in 2025 while playing for Rejoice Christian High.
Oklahoma, though, will need more than Venables to pull off the huge recruiting coup on Nov. 13 (Compton-Nero’s decision date). Compton-Nero previously told Rivals that Ole Miss “was always at the top for me” and now the Rebels have a chance to swoop up the Sooner State star.
Notable Names Mentioned With Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator Opening
Recruits such as Compton-Nero likely will monitor who Venables and OU brings in to run the offense moving forward. Former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro tight end and OU TE coach Jason Witten is handling the interim play-caller duties.
Certainly Witten can use this opportunity to audition for the full-time OC role in Norman. But there are other names to become mindful of when it comes to this OC opening. Including one coach who’s now searching for work.
Ex-Florida State head coach Mike Norvell is out there. Despite his mixed results in Tallahassee, Norvell garnered a strong coordinator reputation at past stops and knows the state’s recruiting territories well, having previously coached at Tulsa in 2007 and 2008. But Oregon could also make a run, given Norvell’s past working relationship with Ducks head coach Dan Lanning.
Current Northwestern OC Chip Kelly is once again rising as an intriguing candidate for other jobs. He elevated the Wildcats’ offense to average 33.6 points per game. Northwestern additionally rose to No. 24 overall before Saturday’s loss to Oregon. Kelly, however, could also field head coaching jobs with places like North Carolina State, Maryland and even Florida State open.
Oklahoma Receives Stunning Recruiting Update After Ben Arbuckle Firing