Zac Alley is leaving Oklahoma to take the defensive coordinator position at West Virginia, just after stating that he planned to return to Norman next season. When asked about the West Virginia vacancy, Alley responded, "I think coming back next season, we're going to have a great opportunity to be successful, to have a top defense in the country, and hopefully, we have some young guys who can come along to help us do that."
Many players seem to be caught off guard by this news, as proven by their reactions on social media. Some sources claim that Alley told several players he wasn’t going anywhere.
— ² (@Billy2Bowman) December 28, 2024
Prior to arriving at Oklahoma, Alley worked with Rich Rodriguez, current West Virginia HC, at Jacksonville State. Some speculate that he is leaving for West Virginia due to a loss of trust in Brent Venables, although this rumor seems perplexing given that Alley has long been associated with Venables dating back to their time together at Clemson. In many ways, Alley has been viewed as Venables’ protégé and potentially even the heir to his position if he had remained long enough, though this was merely speculation looking far into the future.
In reality, Alley often operated under Venables' shadow while at Oklahoma. As long as he was with Venables, the defense was always seen as "Venables’ defense," not Alley’s. Furthermore, Alley only held the title of Co-Defensive Coordinator, meaning he didn’t have full responsibility for the defense.
Taking the position at West Virginia allows Alley to implement his vision for the defense. Under his leadership, the Sooners' defense has been the strongest it has been in several years, ranking in the national top 20 for yards allowed and surrendering just 21.5 points per game to opponents.
As the Sooners look to fill Alley's position, they may not need to look outside the existing staff. James Skalski, a former Clemson linebacker and a protégé of Brent Venables, is currently a graduate assistant and could be considered for promotion to linebackers coach. Additionally, safeties coach Brandon Hall, defensive tackles coach Todd Bates, and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai all have backgrounds as defensive coordinators or co-defensive coordinators and will be in the mix to succeed Alley as the defensive playcaller.
