Bob Stoops center of attention among college football greats

The 2020 and 2021 College Football Hall of Fame classes were introduced Tuesday astatine Aria followed by breakout sessions for one-on-one interviews.

Except for 2021 inductee Bob Stoops, it was acold from a one-on-one.

Media swarmed astir Stoops, who is serving arsenic Oklahoma’s interim manager successful the Alamo Bowl against Oregon, which besides is without its manager aft Mario Cristobal near for Miami.

Stoops was a wanted antheral by the media for a reason. The coaching shuffle has been 1 of the ascendant storylines successful assemblage shot the past 2 weeks.

Stoops is temporarily successful his aged occupation due to the fact that Lincoln Riley near for Southern California — and has since been replaced by longtime Oklahoma and Clemson antiaircraft coordinator Brent Venables. Brian Kelly near Notre Dame to instrumentality implicit Louisiana State, and adjacent successful the Mountain West, Jay Norvell departed UNR for Colorado State.

Given the NCAA Transfer Portal, Stoops said coaches present are nether much unit than ever due to the fact that turnarounds tin hap much quickly. There is little patience for a three- oregon four-year plan, overmuch little a five-year 1 that utilized to beryllium routinely sold erstwhile a coaching prosecute was made.

The aboriginal signing play successful December successful summation to the accepted 1 successful February is different origin has besides ratcheted up the stakes. Stoops said helium initially was successful favour of the aboriginal play due to the fact that it relieved unit to clasp onto commitments good into January. But present helium believes it needs to beryllium examined.

“It creates different domino effect that coaching changes person to hap faster,” Stoops said, since going without a caput manager for immoderate magnitude of clip tin adversely impact a team’s recruiting successful that aboriginal period. “It isn’t the coach’s responsibility that the timetable is what it is.”

As for erstwhile helium became Oklahoma’s manager pursuing the 1998 season, Stoops described that archetypal period arsenic “a blur,” thing Venables is astir to experience.

Much similar Venables astatine Clemson, Stoops was an established antiaircraft coordinator astatine Florida and knew Oklahoma was “a sleeping giant.” But the enormity of heading a storied programme with a bare-bones unit meant agelong pressure-packed days.

During the Christmas break, Stoops returned to Florida. As helium was being driven from Jacksonville to Gainesville, Stoops told his friend, Rick Rundell, “I’ve ruined my life.”

“That was aft 2 weeks,” Stoops said. “It was truthful overwhelming. And obviously, I didn’t ruin my life. It was the champion happening that’s happened to me.”

In his 2nd play successful 2000, Stoops coached the Sooners to a 13-0 grounds and nationalist championship. He said proposal helium had been receiving from boosters and fans astir however to bash his occupation ceased aft that title.

Stoops coached Oklahoma for 19 years, going 190-48 with vessel appearances each play and 7 top-five finishes. Now he’s keeping his coaching spot lukewarm for Venables, who coached nether Stoops from 2004 to 2011.

Before Venables was hired, Stoops urged the Oklahoma instrumentality basal arsenic good arsenic returning players, recruits and adjunct coaches to person patience arsenic the programme was concisely thrown into chaos.

“So everybody get a grip connected this, it’s OK,” Stoops said. “We’ll beryllium fine. Just trying to get radical to recognize that was a large mission, and I judge it worked due to the fact that we are bigger than immoderate 1 guy.”

Contact newsman Mark Anderson astatine manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 connected Twitter.