Lincoln Riley says Bob Stoops has stepped in to help coach the Sooners amidst COVID-19 struggles
The Oklahoma Sooners are working through the ramifications of COVID-19, more so than ever before, and particularly on Lincoln Riley's coaching staff.
So much, in fact, that the legend of Bob Stoops has stepped up to lend a hand.
“We brought Coach [Bob] Stoops out of retirement today," Riley said. “It’s been kind of in our hip pocket this whole time, if we had any staff member that fell off, we got a Hall of Famer sitting on the bench.”
Last week, for the first time all season, the Sooners had to postpone a game due to an outbreak within the program. Team activities were paused, and players didn't return to practice until Monday.
With the Sooners' final home game of the season set for Saturday night, Riley said Monday that he was "not optimistic or pessimistic" that his team will be able to hit the field with Baylor. However, in his regular Tuesday press conference, Riley very much sounded like a coach who's prepared to lead his team into battle this weekend.
“It’s just been, after five days out, it’s just been great being back at our facility," said Riley. "Hopefully we can put it together, have a great week, and be ready to play Baylor Saturday night.”
But if that is to happen, the Sooners need to avoid another surge of positive tests and contact traces. And according to Riley, it isn't just the players who have felt the impact of the virus.
With 35 positive tests last week across the Oklahoma athletic department, Riley and his program are in survival mode as they attempt to keep their games with Baylor and West Virginia on the schedule. He admitted that the team had been forced to deploy some emergency maneuvers over the past two days of practice.
“You’ve gotta have plans, you’ve gotta have backup plans," said Riley. "You’re kind of put in a new situation every single day. I think we’ve kind of got plans for those, and we’ve had to put some of those into place this week.”
One of their contingency plans apparently involved Riley's predecessor.
Stoops, who stepped down as Oklahoma head coach in June 2017 after 18 seasons at the helm, is still very much involved with the program. Though he no longer roams the sidelines on Saturdays in his familiar visor, he remains on the Sooners' institutional staff.
“It was great to have him out there today," Riley remarked. "I think he had some fun as well.”
Riley, of course, was hand-picked as Stoops' successor when the time came for a changing of the guard. At the time, Riley was just 33 years old, and had no head coaching experience at any level. Thus, even after his departure, Stoops made a point to continue mentoring his protege.
“We still talk often. There’s very few weeks when we don’t talk," said Riley. "I always want to lean on him for any observations he has, or experience going through different situations… This program's still obviously very near and dear to him, and he’s obviously still a part of it. He’s been great for me.”
Stoops issued a statement Tuesday night.
“When Lincoln asked me if I'd be willing to help in a coaching role while he was a little short-handed I didn't hesitate to say yes. Certainly I'm happy to do anything I can to assist the team for however long I'm asked to. But obviously with me being away from the day-to-day activities of the program for a while now, my input will be minimal. If I can add some enthusiasm or positive energy for these players — and I do know most of them — that's a good thing.
"But let's not get carried away. The people that will influence this game and the rest of our games this season will be Coach Riley, his staff and the players. I'm just going to do my best to help out however I can while keeping a low profile.”
Stoops' tenure in Norman may be ancient history in the eyes of Sooner Nation, but Riley emphasized that his fingerprints are still all over the program. Whether he's watching from a suite on Saturday or making a practice-field cameo on Tuesday, Stoops remains an integral cog in the Sooner football machine.
“If not for him, I honestly don’t know who I would go to," said Riley. "I just quite honestly don’t have anybody else like that."
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