Nick Saban praises Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables has a strong reputation as one of the best defensive minds in college football. Venables has won three national championships as a defensive coordinator. One with Oklahoma and two with the Clemson Tigers .

Venables' defenses bring an aggressive approach, with his units consistently built around disguising coverages, creating pressure and forcing opposing offenses into difficult situations.

Legendary former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban faced Venables' defenses many times with the national championship on the line. He said that Venables is one of the best defensive minds the game has seen.

"I think Venables is one of the best defensive coordinators ever," Saban said on 'The Pat McAfee Show.' "I know he's a head coach now, but he's still calling the defense. He's the one guy who is so aggressive that he's always trying to put you behind the eight ball by creating negative plays on offense."

The timing of Saban's praise is particularly notable with Oklahoma preparing to face the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday. The Sooners' defense enters the matchup with the reputation, talent and experience to make life difficult for Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood .

Michigan struggled offensively in its season opener against the Western Michigan Broncos , and Oklahoma's defensive front presents a much more difficult challenge. The Sooners recorded four sacks and 10 tackles for loss in their Week 1 shutout, while Venables has already emphasized the need for his defense to become cleaner after some missed tackles and containment issues.

Saban's comments ultimately reinforce what Oklahoma has already shown: Venables' defense is designed to make an offense uncomfortable. Against Michigan, the question won't simply be whether the Sooners can make plays. It will be whether Venables can once again turn his aggressive defensive philosophy into the kind of negative plays that change the outcome of a marquee matchup.

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