Damn - Already????

[rossg]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/14271200/south-carolina-gamecocks-plan-talk-oklahoma-sooners-oc-lincoln-riley-head-coaching-job

[tooslow]

Quick, send the 'Cocks tape of the second half of the TCU game!! ;)

[BigTip]

Quick, send the 'Cocks tape of the second half of the TCU game!! ;)

That second half was no reflection on Riley.
I'm pretty sure he left the stadium to get hot chocolate or something. It was cold ya know.
That's the only explanation I can think of.

[BoulderSooner79]

Predictable, but I think he would be better off staying another couple of years. But I could see how landing a mid-level SEC jobs would make a young guy's eyes light up. USCe has been a very tough place to succeed over the years.

[Soonerjeepman]

hate to say it....

but ya can't make chicken salad out of chicken $hit...

OU had plenty of chickens, unlike sc. Just saying...

[BoulderSooner79]

USCe has had some major talent over the last few years - not sure what happened this year. But I don't recall them ever winning the conference and those 11 win seasons under Spurrier are exceptions. But it's not like taking a job at SMU - this is pretty big time for a first time HC. But stepping in too soon and failing would be a step backwards. Leach was only here 1 year and taking that TT job didn't get him that destination job even though he succeeded from a TT historical perspective. I wonder where Leach would have ended up had he stayed at OU during a few of the early Stoops years when OU dominated the conference.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

USCe has had some major talent over the last few years - not sure what happened this year. But I don't recall them ever winning the conference and those 11 win seasons under Spurrier are exceptions. But it's not like taking a job at SMU - this is pretty big time for a first time HC. But stepping in too soon and failing would be a step backwards. Leach was only here 1 year and taking that TT job didn't get him that destination job even though he succeeded from a TT historical perspective. I wonder where Leach would have ended up had he stayed at OU during a few of the early Stoops years when OU dominated the conference.

The problem with South Carolina is the early entrants. Pretty much any player that is any good leaves early so you are always lacking that special something that seniors bring.

[winout]

Stick around for a couple of NCs then make your move.

[swardboy]

^ This. AND name your price.

[oupride]

Thanks for the post.

[SoonerMarkVA]

Quick, send the 'Cocks tape of the second half of the TCU game!! ;)

Hell, send 'em the full whorn game :)

[tooslow]

Hell, send 'em the full whorn game :)

Can't argue with that.

If I were an AD, I'd want to see what Riley could do without having Mayfield for a full season. Since I'm biased, maybe 5 plus seasons would be even better. lol

[VA Sooner]

Damn... too soon. 8-10 more years at OU ... maybe.

[rock on sooner]

Stick around for a couple of NCs then make your move.

When I saw the ESPN piece, my thought process was/is there is a decent
shot at #8 this year and an even MORE decent shot next year. Pretty sure
that Riley is well paid now and in line for more here at OU, given the impact
he has made. I think (hope) he doesn't bolt after a year (like Leach) and
shows that he can improve even more next year, as in zero losses, as an OC.
In all likelihood, next year there will be better jobs than South Carolina open.
Common sense should prevail...wait one more year...jus sayin...

[stoopified]

Damn... too soon. 8-10 more years at OU ... maybe.Then Riley can take over for Bob who retires with 4 NCs.

[VA Sooner]

Then Riley can take over for Bob who retires with 4 NCs.

I like your thinking. I'll go with that...

[soonercastor]

Predictable, but I think he would be better off staying another couple of years. But I could see how landing a mid-level SEC jobs would make a young guy's eyes light up. USCe has been a very tough place to succeed over the years.
Oh FFS. Let's be real. If he is offered that position, he would be an idiot to turn it down. He's already coached in Carolina so he already has some ties there, that will help his recruiting.
It's not like it's a group of five team, that would be a solid job for him. He also has to think about his family and money, he'd be making 3-4 mil AT LEAST, which is 2.5-3.5 more than we are paying him (yes I know he will be getting a raise after this year), and 3-4 years guaranteed. That's a lot of money
I mean put yourself in his shoes, if he actually is offered the position why should he turn it down?

Obviously would love to retain him, but he gets a job like USCe, he should take that. Absolute no brainer.

[BoulderSooner79]

Oh FFS. Let's be real. If he is offered that position, he would be an idiot to turn it down. He's already coached in Carolina so he already has some ties there, that will help his recruiting.
It's not like it's a group of five team, that would be a solid job for him. He also has to think about his family and money, he'd be making 3-4 mil AT LEAST, which is 2.5-3.5 more than we are paying him (yes I know he will be getting a raise after this year), and 3-4 years guaranteed. That's a lot of money
I mean put yourself in his shoes, if he actually is offered the position why should he turn it down?

Obviously would love to retain him, but he gets a job like USCe, he should take that. Absolute no brainer.

My opinion stands - I think it does take a few brain cells. Studying under a stable, successful HC like Stoops is not a real common opportunity. Staying a couple of years would increase his chances of success when he does take an HC job. Look no further than that old Hayden Fry coaching tree to see the influence. There is certainly risk that things go south at OU or future offers are at lesser schools. But if he is not ready and fails when he gets there, he won't last long and would have to go to the back of the line for a while. I do think it's great experience to interview if invited.

[SoonerMarkVA]

Oh FFS. Let's be real. If he is offered that position, he would be an idiot to turn it down. He's already coached in Carolina so he already has some ties there, that will help his recruiting.
It's not like it's a group of five team, that would be a solid job for him. He also has to think about his family and money, he'd be making 3-4 mil AT LEAST, which is 2.5-3.5 more than we are paying him (yes I know he will be getting a raise after this year), and 3-4 years guaranteed. That's a lot of money
I mean put yourself in his shoes, if he actually is offered the position why should he turn it down?

Obviously would love to retain him, but he gets a job like USCe, he should take that. Absolute no brainer.

With continued success and a proven record at OU, he'll be able to get jobs a lot better than S. Carolina. It's not like suddenly the jobs on par with SC will disappear. They'll be around every year.

[SoonerorLater]

IMO if he is offered the South Carolina job he should and would take it. Worst case scenario and he could be set up for life. Riley, after the last half of the TCU game, might come to the conclusion that Baker Mayfield is just one solid hit away from Riley going from the hottest commodity OC in the country to becoming a Josh Heuple-like figure.

[birddog]

Yeah, starting to think he will take the job if it's offered. If we get #8 this year im not gonna give a **** what he does after this season. If we fall short, i would hope he would stick around considering the talent coming back in '16.

[soonercastor]

IMO if he is offered the South Carolina job he should and would take it. Worst case scenario and he could be set up for life. Riley, after the last half of the TCU game, might come to the conclusion that Baker Mayfield is just one solid hit away from Riley going from the hottest commodity OC in the country to becoming a Josh Heuple-like figure.

Exactly. Pretty amazing that people would not agree with this. And it's not like we're talking about Memphis or UCF. It may not be the best out there, but still a damn good job, and if he is good at it he could make the next move to a more powerful job in 4-5 years but in the meantime his family would be set.

[SoonerMarkVA]

Yeah, starting to think he will take the job if it's offered. If we get #8 this year im not gonna give a **** what he does after this season. If we fall short, i would hope he would stick around considering the talent coming back in '16.

But what if he takes it before the playoff? I can't help but remember how we melted down in 2003 once Stoops had accepted the AZ job, even with him still on the sideline for the KSU beating.

[BoulderSooner79]

Exactly. Pretty amazing that people would not agree with this. And it's not like we're talking about Memphis or UCF. It may not be the best out there, but still a damn good job, and if he is good at it he could make the next move to a more powerful job in 4-5 years but in the meantime his family would be set.

I'm not disagreeing it would be a big time job for a first time HC. I'm saying that if it were offered, LR should do some real soul searching to decide he is ready. If he's not, he will fail and it won't be fun. Given his age and short time at a big time program, I doubt he'll get an offer. But schools don't always do rational things, so he shouldn't assume it's right for him just because the offer sheet is sitting in front of him. Beware shiny things. Full disclosure: I took a director's job too early in my career and was immediately over my head and stressed out. I ended up leaving the company and going back to lower management. I reported to a great VP and actually learned the job from him and succeeded as director next time around. I know high-tech computer companies are different than a football program. But going from a coordinator to HC of a $50M program is a big jump and huge change in job description. Could be LR is a wonder boy that could jump right into it, but I'd bet against it.

[soonercastor]

I'm not disagreeing it would be a big time job for a first time HC. I'm saying that if it were offered, LR should do some real soul searching to decide he is ready. If he's not, he will fail and it won't be fun. Given his age and short time at a big time program, I doubt he'll get an offer. But schools don't always do rational things, so he shouldn't assume it's right for him just because the offer sheet is sitting in front of him. Beware shiny things. Full disclosure: I took a director's job too early in my career and was immediately over my head and stressed out. I ended up leaving the company and going back to lower management. I reported to a great VP and actually learned the job from him and succeeded as director next time around. I know high-tech computer companies are different than a football program. But going from a coordinator to HC of a $50M program is a big jump and huge change in job description. Could be LR is a wonder boy that could jump right into it, but I'd bet against it.

That's fair. But the problem with the comparison is that I'm going to guess when you accepted the offer, they did not give you 3-5 years of guaranteed money. So worst case scenario he cashed in while he's hot and if it doesn't work out, come back as an OC somewhere. (See Kiffin, Lane).
Best case scenario he gets that experience there and bolts for a better program (there aren't that many of those) after a few good years.
You're right his stock can get higher by waiting, but the drop down could be more damaging than the benefits of waiting.

[BoulderSooner79]

That's fair. But the problem with the comparison is that I'm going to guess when you accepted the offer, they did not give you 3-5 years of guaranteed money. So worst case scenario he cashed in while he's hot and if it doesn't work out, come back as an OC somewhere. (See Kiffin, Lane).
Best case scenario he gets that experience there and bolts for a better program (there aren't that many of those) after a few good years.
You're right his stock can get higher by waiting, but the drop down could be more damaging than the benefits of waiting.

Short term vs. long term trade-off. If a coach wants to stay in the profession long term and has a plan, stick to it. I actually think Kiffin is a good example, he is somewhat tainted goods. I think the same thing will happen to Kingsbury, who clearly jumped too early. It's not necessarily a no lose situation. He'll be a high 1 percent-er with his OU pay and money isn't everything if you're hating life. Not the same situation, but I'll wager Charlie Strong is regretting taking the money in his current job.

[hornswaggled]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...d-coaching-job

"Sources: Gamecocks interested in Sooners' Riley"

Well, they can't have him. He is a Sooner now. So, STFU.

[Breadburner]

He ain't going anywhere....

[soonergirlNeugene]

This had me wondering. Does anyone know which Stoops era Coordinator has spent the least amount of time on staff before being hired away?

[hornswaggled]

This had me wondering. Does anyone know which Stoops era Coordinator has spent the least amount of time on staff before being hired away?

I spent 0 time on his staff before I was hired away. I don't think anyone spent less time than me.

When I was not on Stoop's staff I did not coordinate much of anything. I may be the most uncoordinated person you have ever known.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

This had me wondering. Does anyone know which Stoops era Coordinator has spent the least amount of time on staff before being hired away?

Jay Norvell. There was one year he was on the staff for like a week before he left. Other than that, Leach at 1 year.

[Pride1Mom]

Three million dollars, hard to pass up.....

[swardboy]

the sooner LR disavows interest in the job, the better I'll feel. I'm getting antsy at no news.

[Soonerjeepman]

Will Muschamp (?) is interviewing on Friday....at this point it's just "conversation"...is what is being reported.