5 offensive coordinators the Oklahoma Sooners should consider to replace Jeff Lebby
Mississippi State has hired Jeff Lebby to be their next head coach, leaving Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator position vacant. The Sooners have now begun the task of replacing Lebby, who helped Oklahoma’s offense finish No. 3 in the nation in scoring and No. 4 in total yards.
Offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners is a position that will be incredibly attractive to a number of coaches across college football.
Here are five names we think the Sooners should consider.
Ryan Grubb - Washington Huskies Offensive Coordinator
Ryan Grubb might be a long shot. He’s got strong ties to Washington Huskies’ head coach, Kalen DeBoer. They’ve worked on the same staff since 2007. Since 2007, Grubb has followed DeBoer from Sioux Falls to Eastern Michigan to Fresno State and now to Washington.
The Huskies are playing for the Pac-12 title and may earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. So, getting him in Norman may take a minute.
In 2023, Washington is averaging 38 points per game and is No. 12 in the nation in total yards. Grubb has Michael Penix playing great football over the last two years and on course to head to New York for the Heisman ceremony.
Sean Lewis - Colorado Buffaloes Offensive Coordinator
The Colorado Buffaloes had an up and down season. It started off strong with a win over TCU but issues on defense and along the offensive line tempered any success they could achieve in year one under Deion Sanders.
Lewis had playcalling duties stripped after the Buffs scored just 16 points against UCLA.
Still, that shouldn’t diminish the job Sean Lewis did with the Buffaloes offense. Colorado averaged 28.2 points per game, finishing 61st in the nation despite being 82nd in total yards. Prior to his demotion, the Buffaloes averaged 32 points per game. Sure, they only scored six points against Oregon, but at some point, you have to account for the talent difference.
Lewis has been a hot name in coaching circles since his time as head coach at Kent State.
Andy Kotelnicki - Kansas Jayhawks Offensive Coordinator
There might be no offensive coordinator that’s done as good of a job over the last couple of years as Kansas OC Andy Kotelnicki.
Kotelnicki has managed to keep the Jayhawks’ offense humming despite injuries to his starter Jalon Daniels.
Kansas was 30th in points per game and 29th in total yards. The Jayhawks won eight games for the first time since 2008 and Devin Neal had a huge year running the football.
Willy Korn - Liberty Flames Offensive Coordinator, QB Coach
A name that might make sense for the Sooners is former Clemson Tigers quarterback and Liberty offensive coordinator Willy Korn.
Korn has the Liberty Flames sitting at No. 5 in the nation in total yards and No. 6 in points per game.
Previously, Korn served as the OC for Coastal Carolina, helping them improve from a 5-7 season in 2019 to 31-7 over the next three years, including two 11-win campaigns.
Korn followed Jamey Chadwell over to Liberty, and in their first year in Conference USA, the Flames went 12-0 and have a shot at playing in a New Year’s Six bowl.
Seth Littrell - Oklahoma Sooners Offensive Analyst
And that brings us to offensive analyst Seth Litterll. Littrell played for the Sooners at the beginning of the Bob Stoops era and has the inside track to the offensive coordinator position, having served on Brent Venables’ staff the last year.
Littrell’s helped improve offenses at Arizona, Indiana, North Carolina, and North Texas during his career as an assistant and then head coach with the Mean Green.
Much of his offense involves concepts similar to Lebby’s, which would make for a more seamless transition in the offensive system. Having been in Norman for the last year, a lot of the terminology could remain in place to ease the transition.
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