The calendar has a very funny way of creating awkward reunions in college football. When No. 18 Oklahoma takes the field at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night to face No. 14 Tennessee, head coach Brent Venables will see a familiar face in an unfamiliar place.
Seth Littrell, who was the offensive coordinator Venables fired midway through last season after a disastrous seven-game stretch, he currently serves as a senior offensive analyst for the Volunteers.
After Jeff Lebby departed to become Mississippi State’s head coach following the 2023 season, Venables promoted Littrell to offensive coordinator. The results weren’t as expected; it was catastrophic.
Oklahoma’s offense averaged just 288.1 yards per game under Littrell’s direction, with 176 yards through the air and 112.1 on the ground. Venables pulled the plug seven games into the season.
Littrell was out of work until his former teammate Josh Heupel brought him to Knoxville. He and Heupel both played on Oklahoma’s 2000 national championship team, with Littrell serving as a fullback and team captain while Venables coordinated the defense.
When asked about facing his former coordinator during his weekly press conference, Venables addressed the situation directly without much emotion attached.
The Oklahoma head coach seemed more interested in talking about Tennessee’s offense than rehashing old relationships or past failures. That makes sense when you consider what the Volunteers have accomplished this season.
Venables Deflects Personal Angle, Focuses on Team Preparation
Venables spent just enough time Tuesday discussing the Littrell situation to make it clear he won’t be dwelling on it come Saturday night. The coach acknowledged his former coordinator’s new role but quickly pivoted to the bigger picture facing his team.
Here’s Brent Venables today on matching up with former Oklahoma OC Seth Littrell for the first time since Littrell’s firing last October
Littrell is currently serving as an offensive analyst at Tennessee
“I don’t think there will be any kind of dynamic between Seth and I.… pic.twitter.com/EqTNfnEQRo
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) October 28, 2025
“I don’t think there will be any kind of dynamic between Seth and I,” Venables said Tuesday. “I haven’t spoken to him in a long time, but he’s doing a great job, obviously, being a part of the offensive staff and the success that they’ve had this year. But it’s never about two people. This is a players’ game and not a coaches’ game. But he’s doing great. He landed right on his feet.”
Venables could have left it at saying there would be no dynamic between them. Instead, he went out of his way to mention that Littrell has found solid footing with Tennessee. Whether that’s genuine goodwill or some sort of politic speech from the head coach.
Venables promoted Littrell because he believed in him at the time. That belief turned out to be misplaced, and the coach made the tough call to move on midseason. Now both men have moved forward, and Saturday’s game will be about Tennessee’s high-powered offense against Oklahoma’s stingy defense.
