Seth Littrell watches quarterback Jackson Arnold #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners spin the ball before a game against the Tulane Green Wave at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 14, 2024 in Norman, Oklahoma. Photo: Brian Bahr / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
University of Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables announced Sunday he has made an offensive coaching change.
Venables said he has relieved Seth Littrell of his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach duties. On an interim basis, Joe Jon Finley will continue his role as co-offensive coordinator, taking on primary play-calling responsibilities, with current senior offensive analyst Kevin Johns being elevated to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
"Seth is an all-time great Sooner," said Venables. "He has a deep love for this university and football program, and has poured his heart and soul into both. Despite that, our performance as an offense this season has not at all lived up to the OU standard and I felt a change was necessary now.
"The leadership role Joe Jon plays on our team is critical. He has the confidence of our locker room and coaching staff, and I'm thankful to him for taking on this expanded role in the middle of the season. Kevin joined our staff last spring as an offensive analyst after serving as an offensive coordinator for over a decade. He has a wealth of experience coordinating offenses and coaching quarterbacks, and I'm looking forward to the fresh approach he'll bring and the bigger role he'll play in offensive game-planning. I'm confident Joe Jon, Kevin and the rest of the offensive staff will work tirelessly to put our players in positions to succeed and make us more effective on that side of the ball."
Finley, a former OU player and graduate assistant, returned to the Sooners in 2021 as assistant head coach for offense and tight ends and H-backs coach. After serving as tight ends coach the last two seasons, he was promoted to co-offensive coordinator last November.
A 1998 Dayton graduate who was a quarterback for the Flyers from 1994-97, Johns came to OU from Duke where he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the last two seasons. Before that, he served in the same capacity at Memphis from 2019-21, was offensive coordinator and inside receivers and tight ends coach at Texas Tech in 2018, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Michigan in 2017 and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks and wide receivers coach at Indiana from 2014-16 (was also co-offensive coordinator and QB/WR coach for the Hoosiers from 2011-13).
Prior to Indiana, Johns spent seven seasons at Northwestern. He was running backs coach from 2004-05, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator from 2006-07 and passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2008-10. His first full-time stint was at Richmond, where he served as wide receivers coach in 2002 and defensive ends coach in 2003.