Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is well known for his grueling practices. In 2023, he even punished himself for drawing a penalty against SMU by doing 100 burpees.
His old-school style of coaching can sometimes come at a cost, with the coach even admitting at one point he may have made his team practice too hard. With Venables’ coaching tree branching out, his style is now headed to other programs.
Clemson Football LB Coach Channels Brent Venables With Old-School Punishment
Clemson linebacker coach Ben Boulware sits in the position Venables held from 2012-2017, the same time Boulware was a linebacker for the Tigers.
Boulware took to social media, telling a story about Venables making the players roll on the ground after practice, calling it the closest he ever got to quitting football.
“I’ll never forget @CoachVenables rolling us after practice one day my senior year. It was the closest I ever got to quitting football lol. I’ve always told myself that if I was the LB coach one day, I would pass it on. & within my first two weeks, one of the LBs got too many parking tickets. So, the legacy continues. Had to set the tone early.
“What’s the worst punishment or conditioning you’ve been put through? Don’t worry, I won’t steal your ideas…👀” Boulware wrote on Twitter.
It seemed to work out for Boulware, who had career highs in every major stat his senior year for the Tigers — by which time Venables had been promoted to defensive coordinator and associate head coach.
Boulware racked up 116 tackles — 58 solo — 11.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in a First-Team All-ACC, ACC-Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and Jack Lambert Trophy Campaign on the way to a national championship.
KEEP READING: Clemson Tigers Transfer Portal — NFL Star’s Brother Chooses to Exit, Dabo Swinney Snags 4-Star Defensive Talent
Boulware would go undrafted, spending time on the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad in 2017.
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