Sarkisian's Longhorns Will Not Hire Mike Stoops As Linebackers Coach
The Texas Longhorns had seemingly filled their final coaching staff vacancy late on Thursday night when reports surfaced that former Oklahoma defensive coordinator and Alabama defensive analyst, Mike Stoops, as linebackers coach was hired to the position.
However, that all changed early on Friday morning, as Sarkisian himself told multiple outlets that the reports of him hiring Stoops were inaccurate and that the school is still in the search process with regards to the position.
Sarkisian did not reveal a particular candidate that he had in mind, but noted to Hookeem.com's Brian Davis that he was "really excited about who we’re talking to", and that he hopes to finalize the hiring for the position at some point on Friday,
Stoops, who was let go by Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley following a 48-45 loss to Texas during the 2018 season, spent seven seasons leading the Sooners defense. Stoops began his tenure at OU under his brother and then head coach Bob Stoops, where he teamed with Brent Venables to call the defense.
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It was Stoops' second tenure with the team, where he also worked under his brother as the assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator, and defensive backs coach from 1999-2003.
After leaving Oklahoma, Stoops spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons as a defensive analyst under Nick Saban at Alabama.
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