[1] From 1989 to 1990, he played linebacker at Garden City Community College then at Kansas State University under head coach Bill Snyder from 1991 to 1992.

[4] In January 2012, after it was announced that Mike Stoops would be returning to Oklahoma to resume the defensive coordinator position he had held until 2004, Venables accepted the position of defensive coordinator at Clemson, where his salary was expected to be between $750,000 and $1 million.

[9] On December 6, 2016, Venables was named the winner of the 2016 Broyles Award for the nation's top assistant coach.

Venables was soon promoted to Associate head coach[10] Clemson Diehards reported on December 6, 2017, that Venables was the second-highest paid assistant football coach in college football that year, receiving $1.7 million from Clemson.

The only coach in this category receiving more money was Dave Aranda of LSU, who was paid $1.8 million.