Brent Venables' Buyout Details Make It Almost Impossible For Oklahoma To Fire Him

Brent Venables' job is likely very secure thanks to a massive buyout.

The Sooners are currently 4-3 and 1-3 in the Big 12. The Brent Venables era is off to an atrocious start, and it's safe to say lots of fans have already turned on him.

Well, those hoping for the Sooners to make a quick change shouldn't get their hopes up.

Brent Venables' entire contract is guaranteed if he's fired without cause. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

Venables is owed his entire $43.5 million contract if he's fired without cause, according to documents obtained by The Athletic. The head coach of the Sooners currently makes $7 million, and that's set to increase by $100,000 each year through the end of the six-year deal.

Given how much money Oklahoma would have to pay, it's almost impossible to see the Sooners getting rid of him.

Brent Venables is owed a ton of money if Oklahoma fires him.

Oklahoma has a ton of cash, but that's still a very tall order. Even if Venables was dumped after the season, he'd still be owed more than $35 million.

It's incredibly difficult to believe the Sooners will make a change and eat that kind of money. Anything north of $20 million in buyout money is considered incredibly high. By that math, the first realistic window to fire Brent Venables is after his third year.

Of course, we're living in an unprecedented era of buyouts. Nebraska fired Scott Frost just a couple weeks before the program could have saved $7.5 million by firing him.

Will Oklahoma fire Brent Venables? The Sooners are currently 4-3. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

There's definitely precedent for teams sometimes ignoring the financial ramifications before canning a coach. I'm just not sure that applies when the price tag is more than $35 million at the end of the year and fully guaranteed.

Sooners fans just better hope Brent Venables turns everything around because he's just not going to get fired in the near future.