Brent Venables had to hold back tears this week while reflecting on his 10 years at Clemson.

The longtime Clemson defensive coordinator and new Oklahoma head coach appeared on ESPNU Radio and was clearly emotional while talking about his time around the Clemson Family, as well as the impact Dabo Swinney had on him.

“Coach Swinney, for me transformationally, in so many ways, he probably has had the biggest impact in the man, the husband, the father, the coach, in my spirit,” Venables said to Dusty Dvoracek and Danny Kanell. “He believed in me at times I was having a hard time believing in myself.”

“He had no reason,” Venables continued, before pausing as he got choked up. “He had no reason to believe in me, but he did anyway. But he helped me connect in ways that I didn’t know were possible. I’m just so thankful for his friendship, and really the whole Clemson community, family. We’ve gotten way more out of it than we put in, and I’ll forever be grateful.”

Venables continued to express appreciation for what he got out of his tenure with the Tigers from 2012-21.

“In the end, if you had the fulfillment that I had every day… Like, when I came to work for the last 10 years, man, I got filled up in ways you could never imagine as a human being,” Venables said. “So, I’m a simple guy. But I’m also very aware and very thankful and very loyal and very appreciative. I’ve always believed in having an attitude of gratitude. So, I’ve been really fortunate for the last 10 years.”

"Just so thankful for his friendship."

After 10 years, Brent Venables left Dabo Swinney & @ClemsonFB to become the head man at @OU_Football.

An emotional Venables reflected on his time at Clemson with @DustyDvoracek & @dannykanell 🧡 #AllIn 🤝 #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/MGUklEDl6c

— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) December 17, 2021

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