NORMAN — Head coach Brent Venables and OU football are making a change.
Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, who was hired to replace Jeff Lebby last December, has been fired, Venables announced Sunday. On an interim basis, Joe Jon Finley will continue his role as co-offensive coordinator while taking on primary play-calling responsibilities. Senior offensive analyst Kevin Johns is being elevated to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
SoonerScoop.com was the first to report the firing and Finley and Johns’ new roles.
Littrell’s firing comes after Saturday’s 35-9 blowout loss to South Carolina, the Sooners‘ worst home loss since 2014.
“Seth is an all-time great Sooner,” Venables said in a statement released Sunday. “He has a deep love for this university and football program, and has poured his heart and soul into both. Despite that, our performance as an offense this season has not at all lived up to the OU standard and I felt a change was necessary now.”
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For the first time this season both Littrell and Finley were in the booth during the game.
Johns started the game in the booth but after the Gamecocks took a 21-0 lead early in the first quarter, he returned to the sideline where he’d been all season.
“The leadership role Joe Jon plays on our team is critical,” Venables said. “He has the confidence of our locker room and coaching staff, and I’m thankful to him for taking on this expanded role in the middle of the season. Kevin joined our staff last spring as an offensive analyst after serving as an offensive coordinator for over a decade.
“He has a wealth of experience coordinating offenses and coaching quarterbacks, and I’m looking forward to the fresh approach he’ll bring and the bigger role he’ll play in offensive game-planning. I’m confident Joe Jon, Kevin and the rest of the offensive staff will work tirelessly to put our players in positions to succeed and make us more effective on that side of the ball.”
Littrell’s contract, which runs through 2026, pays $1.1 million per year. OU’s offense ranks No. 129 nationally. Littrell was due to receive $50,000 increases from his current $1.1 million on Feb. 1, 2025 and Feb. 1, 2026.
Littrell, a Muskogee native, helped OU to the 2000 national title as a fullback.
“This is my alma mater,” Littrell said Saturday. “Obviously I want to win championships here, just like everybody else, and just like every other coach and every other player in the locker room. That means a lot to me. But at the same time, you really got to focus in on who you go to battle with every day. You got to trust and believe in one another, have each other’s back.”
Finley has coached the Sooners’ tight ends since 2021. Johns served as Duke’s offensive coordinator last season.
Next, without Littrell, the Sooners travel to face Mississippi at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN.
More:OU football vs Mississippi: TV channel, betting line, scouting report for Week 9 game
(This article was updated to add new information.)
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