Daniel Seahorn
On the 40
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
- Messages
- 8,458
[SIZE=12pt]I figured this was going to be another typical Wednesday. I fully planned on being productive and getting some things accomplished around the house. That was holding true right up until I got a notification on my phone that Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops was retiring and stepping down immediately.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]It’s safe to say that my to-do list isn’t getting accomplished now, as I sit here and try to put my thoughts on today’s events on paper.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Like everyone else out there I was absolutely blindsided by this bit of news. There had been no whispers or discussions of Stoops considering retirement and the Sooners are coming off yet another successful season with Stoops at the helm in Norman. They recently inked Lincoln Riley to a long term deal, Baker Mayfield is returning to lead one of the best offenses in college football, and the Sooners have a Top 25 recruiting class that includes a five star offensive tackle in Brey Walker. Life is looking pretty sweet for the Sooners these days.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I say all of that to say that the timing of this all doesn’t make one lick of sense to me no matter any way I try to spin it in my mind. Is something we all aren’t aware of coming down the pipe in Norman? Stoops said in his release that this decision wasn’t healthy related, so what gives? Some are reporting that Stoops has been grooming Riley for this day for some time now, but even then why make that decision NOW? Also if I’m Oklahoma, skipping the interim tag and naming Riley the new head ball coach is a dicey proposition in my opinion. While he has been very successful as the offensive coordinator in Norman, we are talking about a guy who is about to take on his first heading coaching gig at the ripe age of 33. Being the head coach is a heck of a lot different than being the play caller, and you are giving him the keys to the kingdom at a blue blood program with zilch head coaching experience? That’s very bold.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]A job like Oklahoma would no doubt attract all kinds of resumes if they opted for the interim route and a national search after the season, but then again I’m not running the show in Norman. My guess is that they have a ton of faith in Riley being able to learn on the job and be able to battle the volleys of negative recruiting that is about to be sent at him.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Speaking of recruiting, I would be lying if I said that wasn’t one of the first things that came to my mind when this news broke. Oklahoma has already suffered some hits and defections on the recruiting trail at the hands of Tom Herman and Texas, and they still have several mutual targets that are uncommitted at this time. The big question is how this is going to impact current Sooner commits and the guys they are currently after, but right now it is too early to tell as everyone is still trying to make sense of everything.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I mentioned Brey Walker earlier and while there hasn’t been anything to report between him and Texas, you can almost guarantee a phone call will be placed to gauge interest with the way Texas has been forcing Oklahoma to play defense on recruits within their borders. Many have asked about four star RB TJ Pledger previously, and despite him seeming to be out of the loop based on his initial response on Twitter, I’m not sure what Texas’ interest level is with Keaontay Ingram now in the boat.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]An uncommitted prospect to keep an eye on would be four star defensive end Ronnie Perkins out of Lutheran North in St. Louis. Perkins holds a Texas offer and they recently landed another St. Louis product in Ayodele Adeoye. Perkins is a stud and is at a position of need for the Longhorns, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to push there as well.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]One thing that I saw mentioned during the tweet storm was that regional schools like LSU and now Oklahoma are about to be breaking in first year head coaches and you have another in Texas A&M who could be shopping for a new head coach later this year if things don’t get turned around in short order. With the way things are trending right now for Tom Herman and Texas that puts them in an enviable position if they end up winning games this fall.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Speaking of this fall, we have gone from seeing a Tom Herman/Bob Stoops rematch in the Cotton Bowl to seeing both Texas and Oklahoma having first year head coaches making their debut in the Red River Shootout (I’m still calling it that). When is the last time that happened in the history of the rivalry? This is one hell of a plot twist on one of the best rivalries in college football.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]It’s safe to say that my to-do list isn’t getting accomplished now, as I sit here and try to put my thoughts on today’s events on paper.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Like everyone else out there I was absolutely blindsided by this bit of news. There had been no whispers or discussions of Stoops considering retirement and the Sooners are coming off yet another successful season with Stoops at the helm in Norman. They recently inked Lincoln Riley to a long term deal, Baker Mayfield is returning to lead one of the best offenses in college football, and the Sooners have a Top 25 recruiting class that includes a five star offensive tackle in Brey Walker. Life is looking pretty sweet for the Sooners these days.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I say all of that to say that the timing of this all doesn’t make one lick of sense to me no matter any way I try to spin it in my mind. Is something we all aren’t aware of coming down the pipe in Norman? Stoops said in his release that this decision wasn’t healthy related, so what gives? Some are reporting that Stoops has been grooming Riley for this day for some time now, but even then why make that decision NOW? Also if I’m Oklahoma, skipping the interim tag and naming Riley the new head ball coach is a dicey proposition in my opinion. While he has been very successful as the offensive coordinator in Norman, we are talking about a guy who is about to take on his first heading coaching gig at the ripe age of 33. Being the head coach is a heck of a lot different than being the play caller, and you are giving him the keys to the kingdom at a blue blood program with zilch head coaching experience? That’s very bold.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]A job like Oklahoma would no doubt attract all kinds of resumes if they opted for the interim route and a national search after the season, but then again I’m not running the show in Norman. My guess is that they have a ton of faith in Riley being able to learn on the job and be able to battle the volleys of negative recruiting that is about to be sent at him.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Speaking of recruiting, I would be lying if I said that wasn’t one of the first things that came to my mind when this news broke. Oklahoma has already suffered some hits and defections on the recruiting trail at the hands of Tom Herman and Texas, and they still have several mutual targets that are uncommitted at this time. The big question is how this is going to impact current Sooner commits and the guys they are currently after, but right now it is too early to tell as everyone is still trying to make sense of everything.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I mentioned Brey Walker earlier and while there hasn’t been anything to report between him and Texas, you can almost guarantee a phone call will be placed to gauge interest with the way Texas has been forcing Oklahoma to play defense on recruits within their borders. Many have asked about four star RB TJ Pledger previously, and despite him seeming to be out of the loop based on his initial response on Twitter, I’m not sure what Texas’ interest level is with Keaontay Ingram now in the boat.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]An uncommitted prospect to keep an eye on would be four star defensive end Ronnie Perkins out of Lutheran North in St. Louis. Perkins holds a Texas offer and they recently landed another St. Louis product in Ayodele Adeoye. Perkins is a stud and is at a position of need for the Longhorns, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to push there as well.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]One thing that I saw mentioned during the tweet storm was that regional schools like LSU and now Oklahoma are about to be breaking in first year head coaches and you have another in Texas A&M who could be shopping for a new head coach later this year if things don’t get turned around in short order. With the way things are trending right now for Tom Herman and Texas that puts them in an enviable position if they end up winning games this fall.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Speaking of this fall, we have gone from seeing a Tom Herman/Bob Stoops rematch in the Cotton Bowl to seeing both Texas and Oklahoma having first year head coaches making their debut in the Red River Shootout (I’m still calling it that). When is the last time that happened in the history of the rivalry? This is one hell of a plot twist on one of the best rivalries in college football.[/SIZE]
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