http://newsok.com/after-18-seasons-ou-coach-bob-stoops-retiring/article/5551964 Lincoln Riley is the new OU football coach. The youngest in Division 1 football.
Switzer--as good as he was--had clearly lost control of the program. I dont think it was a surprise to most people at the time that knew what was going on that he was forced out. The timing of this one seems odd. I think you'll see Bob on the sidelines somewhere in 2018.
Then you don't know Bob. He's said for years he's not going to stick around forever. Retiring in his 50's has long been the plan, but his 50's were about to come and go, and I'd hoped that plan had faded. He's now older than his father was when he passed away.
I don't think he will be a head coach again either but he loves football and will likely have some involvement behind the scenes including being an unofficial (??) advisor to OU.
Now many are wondering if Stoop's successor, Lincoln Riley, will be a capable replacement. Let's see, a program whose legendary, long-time coach retires and a young, up and coming assistant is handed the reins. One does not have to look far to find a program that did just that . . . speaking, of course, about sa*et and Charlie Strong. Yes, there were some differences in the two situations, Strong had a head coaching resume that Riley does not have and Mack Brown left after some down seasons as opposed to Bob Stoops deciding to retire after a very good one but both successors were highly regarded coordinators at top tier programs. When his time came, Strong was unable to handle the job at UT, admittedly, a place that forces a lot of baggage on the head coach, but still, if you can't put together a winning record even once in three seasons at a place like sa*et, then where? So does this bode well for Lincoln Riley? Hell yes! While fans of both OU and sa*et demand a lot from their football team, double-digit wins, conference championships, at least a shot at a National Championship, the transition for Riley was at once surprising yet smooth, without the hand-wringing and divisiveness that accompanied Mack's departure and Strong's hire. While some Sooner fans may come out and say they are cautiously optimistic about Lincoln Riley, I proclaim to be wildly optimistic about Lincoln Riley. I think the administration did this one right, got someone who can step up, not in, replace a legend and take those first steps to becoming one himself. Lincoln Riley as head football coach at Oklahoma may have boosted the Sooners from a Top 10 or even a Top 5 finish for the 2017 season all the way to the National Championship.
Well, it will take more than a new head coach at ou, ie, RECRUITING Land thieves have yet to pull a top 50 recruit out of Texas so far this year. Tom Herman has a Top 3 ranked 2018 class Can Riley recruit?
LOL Uh, Charlie is no longer there. The nation's Top 3 recruiting class is being acquired by the new Texas coach. You might recall his name from the ou/UH game last year
No doubt the blind pigs in Austin finally found themselves an acorn. The security-blanket glow you feel should be tempered by the fact that nothing else has changed. Herman may be better prepared for the pressure cooker of the job of head UT coach than the last guy but he still has to deal with the same things that caused Mack's career go into a downward spiral and Strong's to completely come off the rails. All the distractions are still in place, the rich alums demanding a piece of the coach's time, the legion of fans who despite their loyalty to the program still show up late for games and leave early, yet clamor for wins and call for change at the first sign of trouble, the sense of entitlement among scholarship athletes that has not diminished even after Charlie's purge and three straight losing seasons, and that killer schedule, I checked it, in addition to USC, Kansas State, Oklahoma, OSU, Baylor and West Virginia, looks like 6 losses right there, they have to play Kansas. Another 5-7 year! Tommy boy is going to look back at his old job and remember it as his happy time.
<chuckle> If you think things are status quo in Austin right now, you must live in Indian territory Do Ron Tatum and Casey Thompson ring a bell? I'll give 2017 to your blemished short QB. But a national top 3 class in 2018 will change the stage dramatically on the 40 Be sure to let me know if you pull a top 50 recruit out of Texas anytime, ok? The season cant get here sooner enough
College Football coaches don't just "retire" in June. They do so right after the reg season and then coach the bowl game and get carried off the field. If they don't retire after the reg season or the bowl, they retire very early in the season ala Steve Spurrier at SoCaro because they get burnt out. Again, this kind of thing rarely, if ever, happens in June. Something is up. I believe he was forced out because the OU brass has wanted to give the keys to Lincoln (pun intended) because they want a new school millennial type guy ala Herman down in Austin, because they are concerned that recruiting will drop off some because Herman is said to be a very good recruiter as well as an X's and O's guy.
From sa*et recruits to conspiracy theory, this thread is a doozy. Too bad the only people posting about it besides me are a pair of whorn apologists, no telling where the discussion would lead. But back to that post, let's see, if there is one thing about Bob Stoops he has shown consistently, any Sooner fan will tell you this,when he goes on camera he tells it like it is. He doesn't hold back when he doesn't like something. So the idea that he was forced to do anything based on everything I have seen from Bob since the announcement is inconsistent with the man he has been these last 18 years. He appears to be a man content with things, not one being forced out and believe this, Bob Stoops would not smile if he were told to bend over by the administration. Maybe he is doing a superb job of acting but it would be the first time since he took over as head coach at Oklahoma.
Okay Jacie but why retire in June? Why not do it right when the reg season ends (like most retiring coaches do) so the school he supposedly loves can have time (during the most popular time to do this which is early Dec) to either hire a new guy from the outside or promote Lincoln and give him all the time he needs to be The Guy when it comes to recruiting and just running the program as Head Coach? Why go through the bowl, then recruiting, then spring practices and the game, only to decide in June that now is the time. It doesn't make much sense. I want to believe it just "came from within" but I've simply followed CFB and sports in general for way too long (32Y) to not know that *something* is up behind the scenes. The truth will come out in due time.
Had to go all the way over to Hornfans.com to answer your question, seems your running buddies know what's up. In case anyone is wondering why Bob retired in June instead of say last month - Bob Stoops Contract College: Oklahoma Conference: Big 12 Base compensation 2014 guaranteed money: $5,250,000 Contract guaranteed money $49,000,000 contract length: 9 years start date: Jan. 1, 2012 amended: June 25, 2014 end date: Dec. 31, 2020 2014 base salary: $325,000 Incentives contractual raises: additional guaranteed annual compensation: For PR/equipment/recruiting/public speaking 2012: $3,325,000 2013: $3,525,000 2014: $4,025,000 2015: $4,375,000 2016-2020: $150,000 raise each year retention bonus: $700,000 every June 1 he remains head coach
Jacie Thanks for posting this but I have to ask: Does anyone really, truly, in their heart of hearts think Stoopsie would stick around 5-7 mos longer than the average outgoing coach, just to collect 700K from a school he supposedly loves? Would he go through the bowl game, recruiting period (telling recruits he plans to continue coaching) and spring game, only to decide in June that he's done? Sorry man, it does not pass the smell test to me. Not going to bring up Laugh test, but Smell test no doubt is involved here. Just my .02
I guess $700,000 is small potatoes in your household, perhaps it is a lot to Bob Stoops. It sounds perfectly reasonable to me and that is saying a lot since I had to hear it at Hornfans first.
