When Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables arrived in Norman, one of the first things he did was to establish the SOUL Mission. SOUL stands for Serving Our Uncommon Legacy, and its mission is to equip and empower the OU student-athletes with the tools needed for their present and future success, on the field, in the classroom and beyond.

On Friday, Caleb King-Kelly, who had been one of the directors of the SOUL Mission, announced on X, formerly Twitter, that he had recently stepped away from his role.

“Coach Venables gave me something I didn’t expect,” King-Kelly wrote. “A chance to give back through SOUL Mission. Four years pouring into young men. Watching them grow. Reminding them that football is the vehicle, not the destination. That work changed me more than it changed them.”

Ten years.

I came to Norman in 2016 as a kid from Fresno who wanted to prove something. I had no idea what God had planned.

Five Big 12 Championships. Three College Football Playoff appearances. pic.twitter.com/D5MH5HPa4q

— Caleb King-Kelly (@calebkkelly) April 3, 2026

King-Kelly played for the Sooners from 2016 to 2021, and dealt with injuries for much of his career, including three different ACL surgeries. When healthy, he was a playmaker at linebacker for Oklahoma for the six seasons that he was on the roster.

When his playing days were done, Venables kept King-Kelly around as part of the SOUL Mission, which has had a few different directors during its existence. With the recent changes, director Vincent Carter and assistant director Lorenda Holston are the remaining members of the SOUL leadership team.

“I recently stepped away from that role, not because the mission lost its meaning, but because God put something else on my heart,” King-Kelly said. “Something I’ve been building quietly. I’ll share more soon. But today I just want to say thank you. To every coach who believed in me. Every teammate who lined up beside me. Every fan who cheered even when I was on the sideline. Every player I got to walk alongside in SOUL Mission. To God who led me every step of the way. I showed up a Cali boy. I am now an Oklahoma man. Norman, you made me. OU, you made me. Whatever comes next, I carry all of it with me. Boomer Sooner!”

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Director of SOUL Mission for the Sooners announces he’s stepping away