Bob Stoops will be interim Oklahoma football coach with Lincoln Riley off to USC
Lincoln Riley replaced Bob Stoops in 2017. Five seasons later, Stoops will replace Riley, stepping in as interim coach for the remainder of the season.
Stoops, Oklahoma's head football coach from 1999-2016, is taking the role as Riley becomes the new head coach at Southern California.
In a statement released by the school on Sunday, Stoops said, "First and foremost, I'm a program guy, and whatever I can do to help OU and support the players, of course I'm glad to do it."
He added that he looks forward to finishing the season in a "strong and successful way." Stoops also praised Riley, saying he'd done a great job in his five years leading the Sooners.
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It’s not the first time Stoops has stepped in since he retired. Last season, he was a position coach in practice in the lead-up to Oklahoma's game against Baylor after several assistants were out with COVID-19. Stoops did not coach in the game, though.
Stoops went 190-48 in 18 seasons with the Sooners, winning the 2000 national championship.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Bob Stoops will be Oklahoma's interim football coach
