Looking at Potential Replacements After Lincoln Riley Leaves Oklahoma
In a stunning twist, Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley is reportedly going to accept the head coaching job at USC.
Riley’s stay in Norman lasted five years, where he finished 55-10 as the head coach and won six Big 12 Championships, stretching back to when he was named the offensive coordinator in 2015.
Not even 24 hours ago, Riley stated he was not going to be the next head coach at LSU, which turned out to be true, just not in the manner OU fans had hoped.
The Sooners are now late arrivals to the coaching carousel, but there are plenty of big names still out there who could be tabbed as the next head coach at Oklahoma.
Bob Stoops
Bob Stoops
Ty Russell / OU Athletics
Riley’s predecessor has been tabbed as the man who could step in as the interim head coach for OU’s bowl game, but there’s no reason he couldn’t assume the full time gig, at least for now.
Bob Stoops brought Oklahoma back to the forefront of college football, finishing 190-48 with OU over 18 seasons in Norman with his 2000 National Championship standing as his crowning achievement.
Though he’s been away from the college game since he handed over the reins to Riley in 2017, Stoops has remained around football.
He had a quick stint as the head coach of the Dallas Renegades in the XFL, as well as joining FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff this season to replace Urban Meyer.
OU needs stability headed into December’s National Signing Day, and who better than a living Oklahoma legend to right the ship.
Alex Grinch
Alex Grinch
BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
Another familiar candidate could be current Sooners defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.
Though the defense underperformed expectations this season, Grinch has turned around what was the worst defense in school history.
Never a head coach in his own right, Grinch has head coaching aspirations and he reportedly interviewed for the Texas Tech vacancy earlier this year.
The Sooners historically have found their best coaching replacements when they have hired an up-and-coming coordinator instead of poaching an existing head coach, and Grinch is already familiar with the interworking of the program.
Dave Aranda
Dave Aranda
Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports
Just two years into his own head coaching career, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda has already put himself at the forefront of the coaching carousel.
The Bears were just 2-9 last season, but will play for the Big 12 Championship on Saturday against the Oklahoma State Cowboys after finishing 10-2 with a victory over OU this year.
Aranda is one of the brightest defensive minds in the game right now, but it appears he’s content at Baylor, as he reportedly passed on the LSU job to stay with Baylor into next season.
Brent Venables
Brent Venables
Ken Ruinard / staff-USA TODAY NETWORK
Famously content to be a defensive coordinator, Brent Venables could finally take a step up and return to Norman.
He served as the defensive coordinator under Stoops from 1999-2011, sharing co-defensive coordinator duties with Mike Stoops through 2003.
Venables has reinserted himself as one of the elite defensive coordinators during his time at Clemson, helping the Tigers get over the hump and win two National Championships.
Luke Fickell
Luke Fickell
Katie Stratman / USA TODAY Sports
Another coach who seems content to stay at his current spot, Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell should get a call from every athletic director in the country looking to fill a coaching spot.
Fickell is 47-14 during his five years with the Bearcats, and should Cincinnati win this weekend, they are poised to be the first Group of 5 team ever extended an invitation to the College Football Playoff.
A former nose guard at Ohio State, Fickell has built his program by playing hard-nosed defense, a hallmark of defenses he’s coached throughout his career.
Matt Campbell
Matt Campbell
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Another in-conference option for the Sooners would be Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.
Since taking over the Cyclones from Toledo, Campbell has coached them to an impressive 42-33 record, taking Iowa State from the cellar of the Big 12 to one of the better teams in the conference over the past five years.
Questions still loom about if Campbell can win the big one, but he’s certainly an option for Joe Castiglione to consider.
Lane Kiffin
Lane Kiffin
Bryan Lynn / USA TODAY Sports
An unorthodox hire for Castiglione would be Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin.
Though he fits the mold of offensive guru, Kiffin has never really laid down any roots at any of his many coaching stops along the way.
In college football, Kiffin has posted a record of 76-41, including stops at Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss.
Kiffin also had a brief stint in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders, as well as serving on Nick Saban’s staff as the offensive coordinator at Alabama.
Josh Heupel
Josh Heupel
Calvin Mattheis / News Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK
A long shot for the job could be the last quarterback to win a National Championship at Oklahoma.
Josh Heupel returned to Norman in 2004, working his way up from a graduate assistant all the way to co-offensive coordinator for four years.
Heupel was let go after a disastrous 2014 season where he was asked to run a different offense than his usual spread, and the relationship between OU and Heupel has been strained ever since.
After leaving Oklahoma, Heupel had successful stints as an offensive coordinator at Utah State and Missouri, eventually landing him as the head coach at UCF.
Following Scott Frost, Heupel went 28-8 in three seasons UCF before following his athletic director to Tennessee.
Heupel surprised many, leading the Volunteers to a 7-5 record this season, exceeding expectations while maintaining a high level of offense.
He would be another unlikely hire, but one the fanbase would surely get behind as a hero would be returning home to save the day.
Kliff Kingsbury
Kliff Kingsbury
Joe Nicholson / USA TODAY Sports
An NFL name to keep an eye on could be Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Drafting former Oklahoma star Kyler Murray with the No. 1-overall pick, Kingsbury is 22-20 as an NFL head coach.
The problem with Kingsbury lies with his previous record in college.
Though he had some of the most explosive offenses in the country at Texas Tech, he fielded some of the worst defenses in college football.
Kingsbury was 35-40 in six seasons in Lubbock, and was only able to post one winning season with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.
