Oklahoma football fans, hungry to regain the Big 12 Championship and ready to return to the College Football Playoffs, will get their first look at first-year head coach Brent Venables this weekend.

The OU Spring Game starts at 3 p.m. in Norman on April 23.

Venables was an assistant defensive coach for OU for 13 years under former Coach Bob Stoops. Venables won a national title with OU and then two more as he left to become defensive coordinator for Clemson University.

A former 13-year University of Oklahoma assistant coach who won a national championship with the Sooners and two more with Clemson University during a highly successful 10-year stint as defensive coordinator, Brent Venables has been named OU’s 23rd head football coach.

Venables has coached in eight national championship games between his time at OU and Clemson.  He won titles with the Sooners in 2000 and Tigers in 2016 and 2018. In 26 years as a full-time assistant coach, Venables’ teams have 26 winning seasons, won 13 conference titles, have been to 30 bowl games (includes four College Football Playoff National Championship games) and won at least 10 games 21 times.

Expectations are running high as Venables replaces Lincoln Riley, who quit to take the head coaching job at Southern California.

Riley recruited former OU starting quarterback Caleb Williams to USC so Venables first real challenge was to come up with a replacement. He thinks he has found a good on in Central Florida transfer Dillon Gabriel. And it was a plus that new OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby coached Gabriel as he set records at UCF.

Gabriel has the challenge of proving his athletic abilities and also his leadership to the coaching staff and his new teammates.

“The biggest thing I think is obviously proving it from the start,” Gabriel said. “So, when I first got here, proving it through winter workouts. And then second, being vocal and taking charge. And I think I’ve done a really good job of it, but continue to do so and continue to gain trust, continuity throughout everything.”

Dillon was born and raised in Hawaii.

“I am who I am, and I continue to be myself with these guys because I think something I heard from Oklahoma is they’ll pick out a fake right away,” Dillon said.

Gabriel was a three-year starter for UCF. He threw for 8,037 yards and 70 touchdowns. Most of his production was during his freshman and sophomore seasons as his junior campaign was cut short due to injuries.

Knowing Lebby’s philosophy gave Gabriel a jumpstart.

“You know, back at UCF, I think it was a bit easier of a transition just because they had a year under their belt with it and I was coming in,” Gabriel said. “From a quarterback’s perspective, you’re pushing it, but the guys lining up helps you push it as well.

“So, here it’s been a transition, but at the same time they’ve been really good at it. It’s an adjustment, as anything right, but from what I’ve seen through five practices, man, they’ve been pushing it well. The O-line is starting to understand it and kind of get the gist of it when ball placement, where to get and how to get your eyes back for the receivers.”

Gabriel really wanted to transfer to OU and Lebby was a big part of that.

“I think it goes way back and just from a trust standpoint, you know, really trusting him,” Gabriel said.  “I love playing in his offense, the way he’s able to strategically use people and put them in good positions to go play and win a lot of ball games while scoring a lot of points.

“So, that’s something I really love about it, but most of all I just love how he continues to push me to get to levels I didn’t think I had. And that’s obviously why we’re back together. So, super grateful for him, and I know every time I’ve played with him throughout just spring ball to fall camps to season I’ve progressed in a super positive way.”

The new offense is tempo-driven – a style that OU moved away from during the last few years. Gabriel likes playing fast.

“I do,” Gabriel said. “I think you’ve got to utilize it to our advantage. And that’s our edge. But I feel like just playing in it, you can take advantage of a lot of opportunities of them not being set, and then likewise just being able to push it on them.

“As you start to get into long play drives, you can definitely see defenses start to get a lot more tired, a lot more draggy. But that’s where you take advantage and that’s where you smell blood in the water and you continue to push.”

Two of the last four quarterbacks at OU (Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray) won the Heisman Trophy and another was a runner-up (Jalen Hurts). All three are starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

While Gabriel will start for OU this fall, Venable scored another victory by signing four-star quarterback Nick Evers, who graduated early and went through spring drills at OU.

“I think he’s super talented,” Gabriel said. “Obviously, he can spin the ball, but also just all-around a talented guy. And I think early on it’s just being a freshman, I was in his shoes, right? And I know he should be in high school right now, but he took the chance of coming here earlier to learn, to get ahead.

“And there’s going to be challenges regardless, but the way he’s continued to fight and learn and continued to grow, I try to give him my two cents here, but for the most part, man, he knows what he’s doing. He knows what he’s got to improve on. It’s just continuing to strain every single day.”

OU lost some of their top receivers to the NFL Draft and one to USC. But Venables has a stable of talented replacements.

“I think it’s farther along than I thought it would be, right, just with the short amount of time,” Gabriel said of his connection with the receivers.

“But I think we sped that up on purpose, just with the QB’s and the receivers knowing that we would have to get ahead so during spring we could make the necessary things to build the continuity we want going into summer or fall camp.”

Was Gabriel concerned about playing for a head coach like Venables who has been a defensive coach throughout his career?

“I love that question because I was talking to my dad about it,” Gabriel said. “I think it’s a different mindset. Right? Like, just even with Coach Venables talking about championship strain, effort with technique, the physicality, it’s just different from a defensive-minded head coach on that part with the mentality.

“But on the second side, I just love situational ball. You know, he’s always thinking about situations, putting yourself in those situations. So, on those two ends I think that’s the biggest difference.”

What’s it like to grow up in Hawaii, play ball in Florida and then move to Norman?

“I think overall—it’s weird to say, but it reminds me a lot of Hawaii in terms of just small town, but also just man, it’s an easy way of living,” Gabriel said. “You know what I mean? Keep it simple. Life is good. Growing up in Hawaii, the island is smaller than you think; it’s also bigger than you think. But it’s just a super simple way of living, and I love it here because of that.

“There’s no traffic, for one. I love that. And then, two, man, it’s fun. It’s a small town, but I’ve got a lot of great people to hang out with, a lot of good food places to eat at. And then just people help me around.

“Shoot, every single guy checking on me right when I got here. I went out to eat with a bunch of dudes. But just quickly learned my surroundings by going out to eat.”