Brent Venables makes yet another genius and ahead of the curve decision to improve his coaching staff
The Sooners have one of the best staffs in the country.
The Oklahoma Sooners have reportedly boosted their defensive staff by hiring Aaron Cheatwood, who recently coached linebackers and coordinated the run defense at Northern Arizona University. Brent Venables continues to strengthen his coaching staff by adding another assistant who could make a significant contribution to the team’s defense.
Sooners hire defensive coach Aaron Cheatwood to help improve coaching staff even more
Cheatwood is expected to join Brent Venables’ staff in an analyst or assistant role, as his actual position has not yet been fully revealed. His arrival in Norman marks a reunion with current OU inside linebackers coach Nate Dreiling; the two worked together at New Mexico State in 2023, where Cheatwood served as a defensive analyst.
Cheatwood brings a reputation for high-level player development and defensive turnarounds. In 2024 at Northern Arizona, he elevated the Lumberjacks’ linebackers, producing several very good players who were worthy of nominations for several awards.
In 2022, Cheatwood worked as a defensive analyst at New Mexico State under Nate Dreiling, gaining valuable collegiate-level experience. Prior to that, he spent three years at Garden City Community College (2019–2021), starting as a defensive line coach and eventually being promoted to defensive coordinator. Before that, he was a big-time high school coach in Arizona, with numerous roles on both offense and defense.
This hire reflects Venables’ ongoing strategy of getting great guys who know the ball and have a relationship and chemistry already established on the staff. The Sooners are making moves and seem to be in the news every minute of every day. Whether it’s hiring the next best coaches that not many have heard of, like potentially Cheatwood, or hiring Hall of Fame tight ends, Venables is improving his staff. That momentum is leading to elite recruiting, and we can only assume that spring ball is going extremely well, too.
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