Sooners’ Venables won’t say when Murray will receive one-game suspension

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables declined to say Wednesday whether running backs coach DeMarco Murray would serve his one-game suspension imposed by the NCAA this week for recruiting violations. He added, however, that “the entire offensive staff will step in” if he does.

The NCAA announced Tuesday that Murray, who is entering his fifth season at his alma mater, contacted prospects and their families before he was allowed to do so. The Sooners, now members of the SEC, open the season at home against Temple on Friday and don’t play their first conference opponent until Sept. 21 at Tennessee.

Venables, who first discussed the incident Wednesday during the weekly SEC coaches teleconference, said he will focus on a new NCAA rule passed this summer that lifts some of the restrictions on the previous maximum of 11 “countable” coaches on the field. All football staff members are now allowed to provide coaching instruction during practices and games.

“The new rule allowing extra coaches will come into play here,” Venables said, “but I won’t go into the details of who that will be and things like that. The whole attacking staff will take over, if you like, and a few guys will come in.”

Oklahoma, Murray and the enforcement staff agreed that the violations in the football program occurred when Murray made unauthorized contact with 17 prospects over a 16-month period, including 65 unauthorized phone calls and 36 unauthorized text messages. According to the NCAA, Murray indicated he was unaware that a COVID-19 waiver to the recruiting contact rules had expired. During the investigation, the enforcement staff determined the school did a good job of educating its football coaches about the applicable recruiting rules and the timing of any changes to them.

“There’s no question that I’m incredibly disappointed with what happened,” Venables said, “and I know that our staff plays by the rules, and we have parameters — very clear, strong parameters — that are in place, and unfortunately and completely unintentionally, that was not the case here. DeMarco knows that, he knows all of that, and he’s accepted responsibility. I know who he is. Things are still going to happen, despite the strong measures that are in place to protect you.”