When Bob Stoops retired as the Head Coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, it took the entire Sooners Nation by surprise. While Stoops had been talking about retirement since he turned 50, leaving the team was never something OU fans wanted to see.
However, the good news in Norman is that his replacement was already there and Lincoln Riley will step in as the new head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. Here is what Sooners' fans need to know about Lincoln Riley.
Lincoln Riley is very young
The best way to really explain how young Lincoln Riley is would be by giving this example.
When Bob Stoops took over as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, Riley was still in high school. Riley then went on to try to play for former Sooners' offensive coordinator Mike Leach at Texas Tech in college but was cut and then hired by Leach to work as a coach.
When Bob Stoops led the Oklahoma Sooners to a National Championship victory in 2000, Lincoln was 18-years-old. Baker Mayfield, the quarterback that Riley will lead into action in 2017, is four years older than Riley was when OU won their National Championship under Stoops.
Bob Stoops stamp of approval
Bob Stoops had said that he didn't want to coach into old age. He wanted to get out while he was still young enough to enjoy life away from the football field.
However, Stoops wanted to leave the Oklahoma Sooners with a successful program when he retired. With Lincoln Riley, Stoops believes that OU has what it takes to not miss a beat.
Stoops said that he didn't want to miss the opportunity to step away from the head coaching position while he had someone worthy to hand the baton off to when he did.
Bob said that he wouldn't have retired if someone as good as Lincoln Riley was not there and ready to take his place. Riley also inherits the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff.
Before coming to the Oklahoma Sooners, Lincoln Riley was an assistant coach for Texas Tech and East Carolina. Since joining the Sooners, Riley served as the offensive coordinator for the seventh-ranked offense in college football and a spot in the College Football Playoffs in 2015, winning the award for the top college coach in the nation that year.
Comments from Riley
Lincoln Riley seems very smart for his young age. He said that the most important thing here is the Oklahoma Sooners players. Riley said that he had spent a lot of time with the players since the decision was made for Bob Stoops to retire and believes that things look positive for the upcoming season.
