Matt Wells was coaching his son’s youth baseball team. Then Brent Venables made a phone call

Would the former Texas Tech coach consider an offensive analyst role on Venables’ first-year staff at Oklahoma?

It was a tough decision for Wells, who was enjoying family time for the first time in years. Each spring, the longtime coach spent time focused on football practices. After being let go as Texas Tech’s head coach, the Sallisaw native was enjoying time with his son’s team from the first-base coaches’ box.

“When he was let go, reached out and stayed in touch. Some point in time after I was here in January, he reached out and talked through some things about what a potential role might be or look like and how we could use his experience and wisdom,” Venables said this week. “He came in with great humility, depth of knowledge of the conference. Here’s kind of who everybody is. There’s a lot that he brings from an experience standpoint that you can always tap into those things.”

On Saturday, Wells will return to Lubbock when the Sooners face the Red Raiders. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Wells wasn’t made available by the school for interviews this week.

Wells was Texas Tech’s head coach for three seasons before being dismissed midway through the 2021 campaign with a 5-3 record and a heartbreaking 25-24 loss to Kansas State that left it one win from bowl eligibility. Wells, the program’s third coach in 11 years, was reportedly paid nearly $7 million by the Big 12 school.

Wells is working in Norman away from his family. Being away from home can be tough.

“I know it’s been hard on him because he has daughters in high school and college that aren’t here with him,” Venables said. “We try to help him as much as we can so that he can try to do both because it’s not an easy thing to do.”

Venables understood the importance of family to Wells, who had never had an opportunity to coach his son Wyatt’s baseball games. Last spring, Wells spent weekends coaching youth baseball games with Venables’ blessing. The only weekend that Wells stayed in Norman was during the spring football game. Venables told Wells to go coach his son, but the new OU analyst stayed in town to help.

Wells’ familiarity with the league and Venables has made him an asset. He has coached three years against conference foes and has built a solid relationship with Venables since 1999. Luke Wells, Matt’s younger brother and current Tulsa assistant coach, was a student assistant on the OU roster when Venables arrived with Bob Stoops.

Venables described what Wells’ duties have been in 2022.

“He’s been a great addition. He’s done a great job in that support role for our offensive staff. He oversees all the support staff guys in the offensive room,” Venables said. “Like we do with all the offensive and defensive support staffs, they have a lot of things they have to do every day that helps us prepare for today and to always be like a week ahead from an efficiency standpoint. He’s done a terrific job.”

Wells will coach against several of his former players.

OU defensive coordinator Ted Roof has coached against former players twice in his long career.

Roof was Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator (1999-2001) before moving to fellow ACC school Duke in 2002. He also was Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator (2013-17) and then moved to conference foe North Carolina State for one season.

Is it difficult to face players who you know?

“Well, there’s a lot of familiarity. Sometimes what gets lost in this business is relationships. Relationships with coaches and their players and coaches to coaches,” Roof said. “That’s a big part of so much of why we do what we do. A huge part. Yeah you go through it, but you want to win.”

Linebacker Kobie McKinzie is from Lubbock and had a strong relationship with Wells at Texas Tech. Seeing him on the OU sideline during his freshman year has been big.

“I’ve known Coach Wells since I was 15-16 years old. Being here with him, he’s helped a lot keeping my mind in it,” McKinzie said. “He’s like ‘You’ll learn. You aren’t out of it just yet.’ It’s been very good to have Coach Wells here.”

No matter what Wells’ future holds, quarterback Dillon Gabriel always will remember the offensive analyst.

“Just positive energy, positive juice. He’s very hungry. He’s a great man. Having those kinds of people in the building, feeds off everything. You need that positive energy and hunger,” Gabriel said.