NORMAN — Brent Venables didn’t take long to join Oklahoma’s staff as defensive coordinator.
According to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, the Sooners are set to sign Jacksonville State defensive coordinator Zac Alley. Alley served as Clemson’s support staff for seven years during Venables’ tenure as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. Alley, 30, is a rising star in the coaching field; in 2021, he was listed as one of the “30 Under 30” by 247Sports.
Alley, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, attended Clemson University and worked as a student assistant from 2011 to 2014. Later, in 2015, she was promoted to graduate assistant for the program and held that position until 2018. Venables spent the last seven of his eight years at his alma institution supervising the defense while working for Dabo Swinney.
Alley has swiftly ascended up the coaching ranks since leaving Clemson, having previously held positions as defensive coordinator at two separate Group of Five schools. Before joining Rich Rodriguez’s staff at Jacksonville State and holding the same position for the final two seasons, he served as defensive coordinator at Louisiana-Monroe during the 2021 season.
This past season, when the team transitioned from FCS to FBS, he was in charge of the Gamecocks’ defense. In 2023, Jacksonville State’s defense thrived under Alley’s direction. With just 21.2 points per game allowed, the squad ended 33rd among FBS teams in scoring. With 25 forced turnovers, it ranked ninth in that category as well. In addition, JSU placed 12th in the country in terms of yards allowed per play (4.82), 22nd in terms of defensive effectiveness on third downs, which allowed opponents to convert at a rate of just 32.68%, and 35th in terms of red-zone touchdown efficiency, which allowed opponents to score touchdowns on 54.55% of their possessions within the Jacksonville State 20-yard line.
Before joining Jacksonville State, Alley was part of the winning ULM defense that finished 4-8 in his only season on staff after going winless the year before he was hired. Alley assisted in improving the Warhawks’ run defense, which was rated 125th in the country, during that 2021 campaign, as they ended 69th against the run. During Alley’s lone season with the team, ULM’s defense also raised their national ranking in 11 of the 14 major defensive categories.
Alley has been a defensive coordinator for three years, but he also has coaching expertise with linebackers. After working with linebackers and defensive tackles at Clemson, he went on to teach outside linebackers at Boise State from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, he took on the role of defensive coordinator at ULM, and he spent the final two years of his tenure at Jacksonville State.
Alley takes Ted Roof’s position as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma after the two parties mutually decided to split ways on Thursday afternoon after two seasons. Ted Roof is a 60-year-old coaching veteran. According to USA Today’s assistant coaches pay database, Alley was earned $213,800 this season as the defensive coordinator for Jacksonville State. This placed him as the 653rd-highest paid assistant in college football.
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