Zac Alley Hired as West Virginia Defensive Coordinator

The Oklahoma Sooners are experiencing another offseason of coaching changes, with both offensive and defensive coordinators being replaced. Brent Venables has hired Ben Arbuckle from Washington State but will lose defensive coordinator Zac Alley, who is reportedly heading to West Virginia, marking the second consecutive year of significant coaching turnover. Alley's defenses showed improvement during his tenure at Oklahoma, where they allowed an average of 21.58 points per game this season. West Virginia has officially hired Alley, who previously worked under Rich Rodriguez, to bolster their defensive staff. As Oklahoma searches for a new defensive coordinator, in-house candidates like Brandon Hall and Todd Bates are being considered due to their familiarity with Venables' system. Despite these changes, the Sooners are expected to remain an attractive destination for potential coaching candidates given their strong defensive roster.