The world of college football was rocked Sunday afternoon when it was announced that Lincoln Riley would be leaving Oklahoma for USC.
Riley, 38, has been considered one of college football’s top coaches since taking over as the Sooners’ coach in 2017, his first head-coach contract at any time. any level. During his time as head coach of Oklahoma, the Sooners won 55-10, won the Big 12 four times, and made it to the College Soccer Playoffs three times.
The Sooners are now tasked with finding Riley’s successor in the search for the first full coach since Bob Stoops was hired in 1996. However, who fills Riley’s vacated position in Norman for the game. bowler will be none other than Stoops, who hired Riley as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator in 2014. Stoops has retired since 2016, spending only a single season in 2020 coaching briefly. Dallas Renegades from the XFL.
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For now, however, he is returning to the Oklahoma coach for the final game of the 2021 season.
“Coach Stoops, who will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame next week, will serve as our interim head coach,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a statement. “He’s very much looking forward to the opportunity and we certainly appreciate all that he has done and continues to do for our athletics and football program. The team and our players. I’m in very good hands under his leadership.”
Why did Bob Stoops coach Oklahoma?
Perhaps no name is more synonymous with Oklahoma football than Stoops.
As the Sooners coach, he guided the program to a 190-48 record in his 18 years as head coach, winning the national championship and 10 Big 12 titles along the way. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year.
Stoops decided to retire in 2016, saying it was the ideal time for him to step down and switch programming for Riley. He said his health was not a factor in his decision to retire.
“I feel the time is perfect to give back the reins. The program is running very well. We have excellent players and coaches and are ready to do it again at the Big 12 and National Championships We have the latest state of the art facilities and a great start to next year’s recruiting class Now is the time as Lincoln Riley will deliver a seamless transition as is the new head coach, taking advantage of the excellent staff already in place and bringing familiarity and confidence to our players.” Stoops said in a statement from the school. “Now is simply the ideal time for me and our program to make this transition.”
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Stoops had a brief stint as head coach of Renegades, leading the team to a 2-3 record in 2020 before the season ended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The federation eventually filed for bankruptcy, although it plans to return in 2023.
However, Stoops has maintained a presence around Oklahoma. According to USA Today, he briefly joined the coaching staff on December 1, 2020, to help with the practice leading up to the Baylor game. This year, he spent time as an analyst on Fox Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff.”
He has also served as a special assistant to the sporting director since he stepped down from the position, although he stepped down from a full-time role to a part-time role in 2019 to continue. move to XFL, according to The Oklahoman.
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So a Stop to Coach for a game is an easy answer to a show looking to maintain excitement levels heading into the final game of the season, right away. even after their CFP hopes were dashed in a 37-33 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday. And carrying on a legacy name like Stoops can help maintain enthusiasm.
“First and foremost, I’m an employee of the program and I can do anything to help OU and support the players, of course I’m happy to do that. I’ll do anything everything possible to help them finish the season strong and successful and I look forward to that,” Stoops said in a statement from the school. “Lincoln has done very well in his five years as head coach here and I appreciate all that he has done for this program. I will always appreciate the close friendship we have had and will continue to have. I wish him, Caitlin and their family all the best.”
Could this herald a longer stay for Stoops? It seems not, though maybe not impossible. His brother, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, is also involved in the opening, and may be a better fit for a different face – albeit, with the same last name.
