I think Castiglione’s first call needs to be to Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables. Off the rip, Castiglione needs to think about promoting defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh or co-offensive coordinator Cale Gundy (brother to Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy). However, no one has had more time to put together a list of potential Oklahoma head coaches. Never mind that college football looks like a totally different sport now or that Castiglione has worked with three university presidents and now two head coaches during his 23-year run. OU athletic director Joe Castiglione and the Sooners haven’t participated in a coaching search this century, but the last time Castiglione did, he struck gold with Stoops. There's little solace in a 10-win season, a feat OU accomplished in 2021 even after the season ended with a loss.īut rather than seeking to pick up a longer extension with more money such as we saw this month for Penn State coach James Franklin, Michigan State coach Mel Tucker and Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson, Riley threw in his lot with the Pac-12 - a conference that hasn’t played in the CFP in five seasons - and a Trojans program that has been mostly mired in mediocrity. With each passing semifinal loss, Oklahoma fans became impatient to win a playoff game in a sport that has become about making the CFP and winning the national title above all else. He also made three appearances in the College Football Playoff as a head coach and failed to win a semifinal game. 1 overall picks in the NFL Draft at quarterback ( Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray). In five seasons, Riley posted a 55-10 record, won five Big 12 titles and developed two No. The Sooners have been a model of sustained excellence for more than 20 years, the past five of which have come under Riley’s watch. He breaks down what this move means for the Trojans and the Pac-12 as a whole. Stoops' decision to retire and hand the reins immediately to Riley was one of the greatest acts of his coaching career.īruce Feldman discusses what transpired the past few weeks for USC to land Lincoln Riley as its next head coach. It set a new bar for smooth transitions, a white-glove service for the fan base, and everyone wanted to keep Riley. Riley was handpicked by former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops to succeed him, and the offensive guru lived up to the standard Stoops set from the moment the hire was announced. There's a lot to unpack with this seismic shift, so let's break down what it means for Oklahoma, USC and the rest of the sport. That's what we learned Sunday afternoon, when USC sent shockwaves through college football by landing Riley as its new head coach. He simply didn’t tell us the whole truth. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) assures a nice, old man, Julius Levinvson (Judd Hirsch), that there is, in fact, no such thing as aliens - only to be contradicted by Secretary of Defense Albert Nimizki (James Rebhorn), who drops a legendarily understated, "That’s not entirely accurate." Of course, what Riley probably meant was not unlike the scene in "Independence Day" in which President Thomas J. We heard those words like they were uttered by Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) in "The Wolf of Wall Street" when he assured his legion of fans that he would not forsake them.
"Lincoln Riley is capable of rebuilding USC and leaving a lasting legacy," he says.įollowing Oklahoma's 37-33 defeat in debilitating fashion - losing to Oklahoma State for the first time since 2014 and missing the Big 12 championship game for the first time since 2003 - I, like other Sooners fans, took those words to mean, "I’m not f-ing leaving." RJ Young reacts to Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley accepting the USC job.