NORMAN — Brent Venables, then a young defensive coordinator, recruited Curtis Lofton from Kingfisher High School to OU. Venables helped Lofton develop into an All-American linebacker, a Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a second-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Lofton was a standout on Venables’ defense, but the two didn’t always get along.
“Coach Venables wasn’t my favorite person when I was in school,” Lofton told The Oklahoman on Saturday. “And the reason why was I didn’t understand at 18, 19, 20 years of age that he had a standard of perfection for me.”
It wasn’t until Lofton’s third year in the NFL that he understood Venables’ way.
“I called him and thanked him for having an unwavering standard for me,” Lofton said.
Sixteen years later, with a title that defines the changing times of college football, Lofton was hired last week as OU football’s first general manager. He’ll work alongside Venables, now entering his third season as Sooner head coach, to build a roster in ways that didn’t exist back when Lofton was playing.
“We’re in uncharted waters,” Lofton said. “Each day it seems like something new comes out.”
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New name, image and likeness (NIL) rules. New transfer portal regulations. New ways to acquire and retain players.
College football as we once knew it is dead. Some of the changes, like compensating players and giving them the same freedom as coaches, are good. Others, like Stanford being a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, are not.
College football has long been a business operating behind a charming facade. Now it’s just a business, somewhere in between the college football of old and the NFL.
“We recruit, they draft,” OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said of the difference. “A general manager on pro teams has much more involvement in talent acquisition, where coaches have a voice, but it’s the general manager and the player personnel staff that has the vision for the team.
“It’s important for us to have a strong, hybrid approach.”
So what does a general manager for a college football team do?
“What does a general manager not do?” Lofton joked. “It’s a better question.”
Added Lofton: “The job of it is to make sure that you’re assisting the head coach and really just focus on helping shape the team, especially with NIL. Allowing coaches to coach football and taking any distractions from coaches and players away.”
Head coach and general manager are “intertwined in a lot of the efforts of course,” Castiglione said, “but we just needed to create a much more targeted and focused approach to our whole roster and the way it’s built and retained.”
Lofton will help recruit, target transfers, manage NIL deals and do whatever else it takes for the Sooners to compete in the SEC.
“I’ve been blessed to where I don’t have to do anything I don’t wanna do,” Lofton said. “For me, I want to make sure that this ain’t a job, this is more of a calling.”
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Whether they’re called general managers or directors of player personnel, these jobs have popped up around the country, from bluebloods like OU and LSU, which in 2021 hired Austin Thomas as the first GM in SEC history, to mid-majors like Georgia State and Western Michigan.
When Venables was hired as OU’s head coach, Lofton was one of his former players Venables wanted to bring back. Lofton, who played eight years in the NFL for the Falcons, Saints and Raiders, joined OU’s SOUL Mission to help mentor players.
“He brings a lot of perspective, and I think his experiences have helped position him to take on this new role,” Castiglione said. “He’s got the moxie to handle all the different things that go into it, but he’ll be the first to say, like any of us, you have to be able to be a life-long learner because this whole area is going to continue to evolve.”
Lofton grew up loving basketball more than football. And he was an OSU fan.
That changed when Bob Stoops and Venables paid a visit to Kingfisher.
“They took care of me then and they still are,” Lofton said.
Lofton didn’t always see eye to eye with Venables, but that was a long time ago. Now they’re working together as general manager and head coach of OU football, trying to bring in more Curtis Loftons for Venables to coach up.
“He trusts me and I trust him,” Lofton said. “He has my back and I have his back.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.