Coaching Carousel: Jay Valai Leaps to NFL
The coaching carousel has spun again, and this time it claims a key piece of Brent Venables’ staff.
Cornerbacks coach Jay Valai is reportedly leaving Norman to join the Buffalo Bills staff for the 2026 season. While coaching changes are common, Valai’s departure marks a significant moment for the program’s defensive evolution.
The Resume: A Statistical Turnaround
To understand the loss, you have to look at the numbers. Valai inherited a unit in transition and turned it into a predator.
- 2023: Oklahoma ranked #1 Nationally in Interceptions per game (1.5) and #2 in total interceptions (20). That ball-hawking identity was directly instilled by Valai’s technique.
- Development: He didn’t just recruit stars; he developed them. Under his watch, true freshman Eli Bowen emerged as one of the best young corners in the country, posting an elite PFF coverage grade of 81.1 and earning Freshman All-American honors.
Losing the architect of that production hurts the short-term continuity of the secondary.
The Legacy: NFL Validation
However, in the cutthroat world of recruiting, this negative flips into a positive.
Brent Venables can now walk into the living room of any 5-star defensive back and say: “We don’t just get players to the league; we get coaches there too.”
The Buffalo Bills are a premier NFL franchise. Their hiring of Valai validates Oklahoma’s schematic complexity and technical teaching. It reinforces the “Defensive U” brand—proving that Norman is a place where football IQ is respected at the highest level.
What’s Next?
The standard has been set. The next hire must not only be an elite recruiter but a technician capable of maintaining the “Ball Hawk” culture Valai established. For today, the message to recruits is clear: The path from Oklahoma to the NFL is wide open, for players and coaches alike.
