Thad Turnipseed - Remember This Name

[Scottsdale.Sooner]

I had a beer and burger with a group of guys that knows far more than I do about college football. Two of them have coached at the D1 level. They were unanimous in their opinion of Brent Venables and his staff. They agreed that BV has put together a top notch staff. They were very high on Lebby, Murray and Bedenbaugh as the best at their craft on offense. Roof attracted the least comments but more to the fact that they were not familiar with his career path but he has Bates, Valai, and Chavez they considered the best. In their opinion the crown jewel is Turnipseed. He has been at Alabama under Saban and then Clemson under Sweeny. They called him a king maker. Apparently he knows what superior facilities it takes to attract top talent. BV will recruit top 5 every year. They give Venables a Natty in his 4th or 5th year, if not sooner.

 

[LAY THE WOODY]

Ced the head at Texas was Turnipseed. Iittle known fact. 😁

 

[CTOkie]

I am seeing Venables focusing on restoring what it means to play and coach at Oklahoma and having everyone being totally unified in the effort.
As Bob Stoops did in 1999, Venables knows of the magnitude of coaching at a place like OU and embraces the responsibility and pressure that comes with the head coaching position.
Only question I have is how long it will take to bring OU back to championship relevance. Stoops did it in two years, so anything is possible. A JUCO QB (Heupel) and military school transfer linebacker (Marshall) went a long way in jumpstarting Stoops' rebuilding effort, so Venables may face a more challenging task even while facing an easier schedule.

 

[Scottsdale.Sooner]

Saban is 70 and will not be around forever. Their opinion was that Venables is heir apparent to a legacy of winning consistently. They thought that OU has assembled a coaching staff that will be the best recruiters in the nation. They did not know enough about the OU roster to make predictions for this year but they said Smitty will have them strong and the position coaches will have them ready. OU's coaching staff is on par with Alabama and Ohio State but they felt OU has more dynamic and enthusiastic approach to recruiting. One comment that I thought was very interesting is that only about 10% of college coaching staffs enjoy recruiting.

They believe Joe C's talents has limitations. He is good at recognizing talent in his hiring but falls short on organizational skills to raise money and program awareness. Joe C does not know how to make OU a national brand but Turnipseed does. They gave a laundry list of things OU can expect from Thad.

I was so juiced when I departed from this lunch that I could not think of anything but OU football.

 

[Scottsdale.Sooner]

Ced the head at Texas was Turnipseed. Iittle known fact. 😁

Texas does not show up on his resume. Can you provide us with more information on his time at Texas?

 

[LAY THE WOODY]

Texas does not show up on his resume. Can you provide us with more information on his time at Texas?

Oh I was referring to Cedric Benson. His father's name was Turnipseed. Cedric took his mother's name Benson. Related? Who knows. Just throwing that out there. 😁

 

[loopafied68]

Definitely not hard to remember a name like Thad Turnipseed...I will definitely be watching.

 

[Scottsdale.Sooner]

 

[LAY THE WOODY]

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I like it! We're all in! 😁

 

[newnasty]

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How can anyone not be fired up and ready to kick ass after watching the OU the past few months? I'm pretty jacked up myself.

Thanks for posting this.

Boomer!

 

[Medic007]

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Clarke Stroud was a disaster in that role at OU. I'm glad his cheesy ass left with Riley. Literally anyone with a fully functioning cerebral cortex could have done a better job. I was hoping for competent but OU hit GOLD with Turnipseed.

 

[Scottsdale.Sooner]

I have watched the Turnipseed video a few times. He obviously comes with a tremendous amount of credibility in the athletics arena. Alabama and Clemson success needs no explanation. Personally, I have very little understanding and gave less thought to the efforts of the support staff of a program the size of Oklahoma. I guess I knew it was not a "one size fits all" but had no idea of the range between a small versus large program. I assumed, incorrectly so, that this would be more or less the same across the Big Boys of College Football. I was completely wrong and Thad's interview was an eye opener. When we, as fans and donors, believe that our Athletic Dept. is sized and operated at the best possible level only to find that it might be considered standard in most places buts below OU standards. Thad speaks of increasing staff headcount, nutrition, donor programs and pumping up fans participation. This is a guy with a very common and energetic approach to realizing full potential in one giant step implemented over realistic schedules and timelines. Recruiting is a prime example. We want to best we can get at OU. That takes time and money. More recruiters on the road, more flights, more hotel, more meals, etc. Recruits are attracted by superior facilities and top quality gear in their lockers. NIL will be huge influencers. This is a curtain call for big money donors. If USC, Bama, Clemson and others can create a NIL War Chest then OU can do better. His vision of OU being at the pinnacle of CFB is intoxicating.

It's time to upgrade your OU closet. I cannot help buy load a suitcase every time I get to Norman/OKC.