JESSE CRITTENDEN The Norman Transcript, Okla.

Aug. 11—Standing at the podium for the first time since Cale Gundy’s resignation, Brent Venables wasn’t particularly interested in speaking about the former Oklahoma assistant coach Wednesday.

“All that needs to be said has been said,” the Sooner head coach said in his opening statement.

What Venables was interested in talking about, however, was Gundy’s replacement, L’Damian Washington.

Venables named Washington as OU’s interim wide receivers coach following Gundy’s resignation Sunday night. The long-tenured assistant coach resigned following a film-room incident where he read out loud a racial slur displayed on a player’s iPad.

Washington was originally hired back in January on OU’s support staff as an offensive analyst. Matt Wells, former Texas Tech head coach, and Nick Basquine, former OU walk-on receiver, will serve as assistants for Washington heading into the season.

Since his hiring, Washington has shadowed offensive staff members and gained a grasp of offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s system. Venables referred to his previous role as the “assistant coach that [couldn’t] coach” but had been studying the team’s offense the last few months.

“I couldn’t be more excited about L’Damian Washington and the opportunity that he has with these guys this season,” Venables said. “He’s already had incredible relationships built with these guys and trust and really a deep understanding of who they are as young men, certainly their skill sets and their strengths and weaknesses. He’s incredibly bright and smart and articulate. He’s got deep trust with these guys.

“He’s got this amazing story, a very inspiring story of how he got here. So I’m really excited to see (him), I think he’ll really blossom right here in this role.”

Part of Washington’s story includes significant struggles during his childhood. His father was murdered when he was six years old and his mother died from a stroke suffered at one of his high school basketball games when he was 15.

Despite this, Washington was a productive player during his four-year career as a receiver at Missouri, recording 100 catches for 1,735 yards and 15 touchdowns. He even caught a 45-yard touchdown during a game against the Sooners in 2011.

After college, he had brief stints with seven NFL teams before short appearances in the AAF and XFL. His playing career included playing for the St. Louis BattleHawks, led by former OU coach Bob Stoops, in 2020 before the XFL suspended operations.

He was hired by the Sooners after a brief stint as Missouri’s director of player development in 2020.

“He’s played the game for a very long time,” Venables said. “A part of [coaching] will be like riding a bike.”

Washington has already assumed his duties on the field. He led the Sooner receivers through position drills during Monday’s practice, just one day after Gundy’s resignation, and he was back at it again Wednesday.

Venables mentioned that several interested coaches reached out following Gundy’s resignation, but for now the team is moving forward with Washington on staff.

And Venables believes he’s ready.

“He’s just going to have to be the man in charge and he’s done a great job,” Venables said. “He’s very comfortable in that role. He just has got a real knack and is very natural from a leadership standpoint and [he’s] got a lot of toughness to him. He’s got a bright light inside of him.

“I just want to make sure, whatever we do, it’s what’s best for the players. Right now, I know that Coach Washington will fill that role in a great way.”

Moving on from Gundy Venables didn’t share additional details about the incident that led Gundy to resign.

He did acknowledge that the awkward timing of his departure, with the team in the midst of fall camp and the season opener just weeks away.

“From a timing standpoint, this is certainly not ideal,” Venables said. “It’s always my job, our job as leaders, to help our young people focus and refocus. I’ve always felt that’s a very easy thing for me. and jumping right in, we’re in the middle of fall camp, and you have to deal with this. I think we’ve hit it head on with our guys, [being] open, honest, transparent, connected the whole time... I think we’re in a great place, all things considered.”

Gundy played quarterback for the Sooners from 1990-1993, throwing for over 6,000 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 56 percent of his passes. After serving as a graduate assistant in 1994, Gundy was hired back by Stoops as an assistant coach following the 1998 season. He served in a variety of positions during his 23-year tenure, most recently as associate head coach and receivers coach.

“This issue aside, the Oklahoma program with Cale Gundy is stronger than one without him,” Venables said.

Venables lauded the response from his players, many of whom were recruited by Gundy. Outside of a team meeting Saturday, a day before Gundy’s resignation, the team has been focused on moving forward.

“I’ve seen a lot of encouraging signs from our guys’ maturity, the love that they have for one another,” Venables said. “... We’ve worked intentionally to build a team and a family and a program. A lot of hard work and a lot of intentionality has gone into that. I believe in my heart of hearts that this somehow, some way will continue to unify this group of guys. That’s what I’ve seen in the meeting room and the practice field. These guys haven’t flinched.”