With Jeff Lebby taking over as Mississippi State coach, who could be OU football's OC?
NORMAN — OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby has agreed to a five-year contract to become head football coach at Mississippi State, according to a report Sunday from ESPN.
Lebby will replace Zach Arnett as Bulldogs coach, but he will have a familiar face in Starkville in athletic director Zac Selmon, the former Sooners deputy AD.
"Being the head coach at Mississippi State is the opportunity of a lifetime," Lebby said in a release from Mississippi State. "My family and I are fired up to engrain ourselves in this community, build relationships with our players, and hit the recruiting trail. This is a special place with special people and a football program with a storied tradition.
Under Lebby, OU is No. 3 nationally in scoring offense at 43.2 points per game and No. 4 in total offense at 502.4 yards per game.
Lebby, who joined Brent Venables' coaching staff in December 2021, has also been a big part of putting together the Sooners’ strong 2024 recruiting class.
With the signing period coming soon — Dec. 20 — an offensive coordinator hire figures to happen quickly for the Sooners.
Here’s a look at a few potential candidates to run the OU offense:
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Bill Bedenbaugh
Current role: OU offensive line coach
Why it might make sense: Bedenbaugh has developed a reputation as one of the nation’s best offensive line coaches, developing plenty of NFL-ready talent. He’s been on OU’s staff since 2013, having a hand in some of the best offenses in college football history. If Sooners coach Brent Venables wanted to pair Bedenbaugh with Seth Littrell as co-coordinators, it wouldn’t be their first tandem job. Bedenbaugh and Littrell were co-offensive coordinators at Arizona in 2010.
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Joey Halzle
Current role: Tennessee offensive coordinator
Why it might make sense: Halzle would offer plenty of continuity, making served as an offensive analyst at UCF under Lebby in 2019 and taking over as the Knights’ quarterbacks coach in 2020 after Lebby departed for Ole Miss. Halzle is an OU alum and former quarterback who has spent the last three seasons on Josh Heupel’s staff at Tennessee, including as the offensive coordinator this season.
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Seth Littrell
Current role: OU offensive analyst
Why it might make sense: Littrell is already on staff, and has plenty of familiarity with the Sooners’ personnel. He played for the Sooners from 1997-2000, the last two when Brent Venables was OU’s co-defensive coordinator. Littrell had stints as offensive coordinator at Arizona, Indiana and North Carolina before serving as North Texas’ head coach from 2016-22. Littrell also has a strong relationship with Sooners’ QB commit Michael Hawkins and could help OU hold onto the prospect.
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![Seth Littrell works with players as the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) college football team holds spring practice outside of Gaylord Family/Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on March 21, 2023 in Norman, Okla. [Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/rltr2C8OY0SVPPP7IrgBUQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY3Mw--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-oklahoman/27736945c7353e8612a9ddb079840bd7)
Sherrone Moore
Current role: Michigan offensive coordinator/offensive line coach
Why it might make sense: Moore’s visibility is at its highest after serving as the Wolverines’ interim head coach for four games this season, including Saturday’s win over Ohio State. His offensive line has won each of the last two Joe Moore Awards as the nation’s best. Moore played offensive line for the Sooners from 2006-07. Would Moore leave Michigan for another assistant’s job, though? He figures to be a candidate for head coaching openings sooner rather than later.
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Will Stein
Current role: Oregon offensive coordinator
Why it might make sense: Stein’s offenses have put up big numbers. Oregon leads the nation in passing offense (351.4 yards per game), and is second in total offense (540.2 yards per game). He also has plenty of ties in the fertile recruiting grounds in Texas — serving on Texas’ staff from 2015-17, at Lake Travis High (Baker Mayfield’s alma mater) from 2018-19 and at UTSA from 2020-22.
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Matt Wells
Current role: OU offensive analyst
Why it might make sense: Like Littrell, Wells is already on staff, having served as an advisor to Brent Venables and as an offensive analyst for the last two seasons. He coached quarterbacks at Navy, Louisville and Utah State before becoming head coach at Utah State in 2013. Wells’ 2018 Utah State offense was ranked third in scoring offense in FBS.
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Casey Woods
Current role: SMU offensive coordinator/tight ends coach
Why it might make sense: SMU is No. 10 nationally in total offense, averaging 470.5 yards, and the No. 6 scoring offense, averaging 40.3 points per game. Brent Venables got a close look at Woods’ offense when the Sooners beat the Mustangs 28-11 on Sept. 9. Woods also has plenty of SEC experience, playing at Tennessee and spending time on the Tennessee, Auburn and Missouri staffs before moving to SMU ahead of this season.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football offensive coordinator candidates to replace Jeff Lebby
