Stoops to Florida: Much more plausible than Notre Dame
Urban Meyer’s stunning resignation from Florida on Saturday set the Bob Stoops conjecture spinning again. Would Stoops go to Florida?
Here’s my quick reaction. It’s much more plausible than Stoops going to Notre Dame, but I still think it’s unlikely.
Florida is a much better job than Notre Dame and it’s south, not north. But Florida would be a relative lateral move for Stoops. Florida is a better job than Oklahoma, but not by much. Both are in the most elite tier of college football. So Stoops would consider Florida only if he’s looking for a new challenge, and what’s the evidence of that?
The more I study Stoops’ situation, the more I think he’s several years from leaving Norman, if at all. His kids are 10 and 13 and have never known a home other than Norman. A guy thinking about moving doesn’t start building a massive new home, which Stoops has under construction in northwest Norman.
Sure, Stoops loves the beach and wouldn’t mind having one just down a Florida highway. Of course, with Stoops’ salary, he can fly to the beach most any time he wants and get there in not too much longer time than it takes to drive over from Gainesville. So quality of life, I don’t think, is an issue. Family considerations favor Oklahoma.
So this would have to be a total football move. Either comes down to that new challenge stuff, or something wrong at OU. And nothing’s wrong in Soonerville, other than a bunch of injuries and tight losses in 2009. Those things tend to balance out the next year, which is why 2010 should be quite promising for OU.
Challenge? Why would the competitor in Stoops need a new challenge. He’s got quite the challenge staring him right in the face. He’s lost four of five games to Texas, which despite three straight OU Big 12 titles in 2006-08, has got to gnaw at him.
I’ve said this a million times and I’ll say it again. Stoops strikes me as a guy who is a lot more likely to leave on top — Urban Meyer style — than when things are rotten.
Again, Florida is the most plausible of college jobs if Stoops does jump. He loved it there in 1996-98, working for Steve Spurrier. It’s down south with warm weather. You can win big there, and Stoops remains loved in Gator Nation.
But again, Gator Nation loves all kinds of guys, starting with Dan Mullen, offensive coordinator on the 2008 national title team. Mullen went to Mississippi State as head coach and did well, 5-7, in his maiden season at a school that hadn’t had a first down in four years. Mullen is a long-time Meyer guy and would keep Florida staff stable. I would rate Mullen the No. 1 likely replacement.
Others mentioned include:
* Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino (I don’t think Florida wants Petrino’s baggage of jumping ships);
* Boise State’s Chris Peterson (heck of a coach; I would hire him);
* Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh (seems a little risky for a job like Florida; Harbaugh’s resume’ isn’t that good yet);
* Utah’s Kyle Whittingham (going to Salt Lake City worked for the Gators last time);
* Mike Shanahan (I don’t see it; hiring a pro coach can be dicey. Shanahan hasn’t had to recruit in a quarter century, and besides, he’s going to get his pick of a variety of NFL jobs. Most coaches prefer the pros, especially those who have coached in both).
So there’s my prediction. To replace Urban Meyer, Florida goes after a popular, ex-Gator coordinator. But it’s not Bob Stoops. It’s Dan Mullen.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
I hope you are right Berry. Bob Stoops is OUr leader and is an excellent man of integrity with football coaching, and recruiting skills. Boomer!!!Besides, he needs to try and match Bud and Barry’s three national titles each before retiring from OU…
Florida officials said that Meyer will stay on in some capacity but not as a coach. They also said that he would assist the AD in the search procedure which would most likely favor a coach that has coached under Meyer such as Dan Mullen.
If Stoops gets the opportunity, I think he should take it. He’s a great coach and a class act. Too classy for OU. It would be terrific “pay back” for all the fair weather OU “fans” that wouldn’t give him a break when his team stumbled this year with a host of injuries.
Stoops continues to do a great job at OU and it is the perfect fit for him. Florida will indeed go with a Meyer understudy for the job – best to keep the continuity flowing.
As to your statement that Florida is a ‘better’ job – you are off base there. In terms of total comp – Weis made more than Meyer. ND is perhaps the toughest job in the game – Gator kids grad rate for FB players is modest at best – ND is #1 in the country along with Duke – kids actually have to go to class and take real degree courses – not ‘ sports media’ or whatever. ND has not been able to find the ‘total’ HC to bring them back to competitiveness Let’s see what BK does.
He’s not leaving…. he’s said it over and over. I think he feels very fortunate to have had the chance at OU and wouldn’t leave.
This resignation came as a real shocker…because of recruiting season I think a replacement will be named quickly…
No story here, Meyer is taking a leave of absence and one of the current Florida coordinators is taking over for interim.
So the latest on ESPN is that Meyer is reconsidering his definitive retirement and possibly just taking a leave of absence. I wish the guy well with his health but this is a pretty selfish statement. It could have two effects: One is it may stabilize their recruiting efforts if the new recruits feel that Meyer will be back by Fall after some time off. Or it could have a really devastating effect to the university if his health matters don’t turn around quickly enough to allow him back anytime soon. They would be in coaching limbo, so to speak. Do we hire someone new, stick with an interim head coach? Who would take the job outside of their current coordinators (save possibly Charlie Strong) if Meyer has the freedom to return?
Either way, Stoops wouldn’t touch the current mess. Even if things were clear and dry that Meyer is done, he is reportedly set to take on a non-coaching role with the University – so now Stoops has to follow two-time championship winning Meyer and have Meyer looking over his shoulder? This won’t go to an established coach with this kind of set up. The only person that will agree to such terms would be someone wanting to clearly step up in a coaching position, coordinator or head coach at a smaller name school/conference.
Once more, Bob Stoops’ name is being bandied around as a candidate for a high profile coaching opening. This time it’s FL; the last time it was Notre Dame. Given his history with the FL program, will the venerable Sooner coach leave Norman for Gainsville?
I don’t have the answer, of course. But as a Sooner alum and supporter, I think it would be a big mistake for Stoops to make a change. Why? Bobbie has 12 years of history in Norman already, and at a relatively young age, he could be there for decades more. He has an opportunity to perhaps be the winning-est OU coach ever, with several national championships in the offing. He has fantastic recruiting power in TX and OK, as well as nationally. He has a great staff and has mentored head coaches at NE, KS, TTech, LSU, the U and AZ. In future, he could remake the Big 12 in that respect. He is already a legend there, a well paid one. Stoops is the cornerstone of the Conference, along with Mack Brown, and their rivalry and friendship are just what sports at the collegiate level are all about.
So, what’s in it for Bob in FL? The weather/beach? The stress? The SEC? Another football tradition, which is not as profound (yet) as that at OU? Certainly, it’s not the money! Nope; if I were in his shoes, I would hold onto a good thing and make it even better in the future. For sure, this was a “bad year” by Sooner standards, but everyone credits Stoops and his staff for making it a winning season against the odds. And, we’ll see how the Sooners stack up against Standford in El Paso soon.
Bob, if you read this, take the advice of an older man and stay put. Build a legacy there. Make it historic in proportion. You and yours can do it! You can be more legendary than Bud or Barry, and your stamp will change the way football is played across the Conference and the nation. Your assistants will move on to ever more head coaching positions across the NCAA. Everyone will want “another Bob Stoops” guiding their program. Bob, always change a losing game, but never change a winning game… in sports and in life. You are in a winning game in Norman. Stay there and make history!
Your friend and Sooner fan,
Old Jim, OU ’58
I don’t think Stoops will take this if offered, but why not. He would get better players at Flordia. And he is going to have a hard time beating Texas and his winning percentage the last five years is only about 70%. That’s marginally good enough to keep your job at OU. Will have friction in this job most years, and he doesn’t handle that well. So he should take the job if offered.
We don’t know if winning next year will balance out or not. Next year is only
a dream. We are all assuming they will be after Stoops. What if they aren’t.
Maybe Bob isn’t on anybody’s list when a vacancy shows up. He is getting
beat by Texas on a regular basis. He can’t win on the road. He very seldom
has a decent defense, even this season, they gave up big plays at critical
times and really didn’t dominate anybody except OSU(at home). Florida
Football is a level above OU. They want somebody who knows the SEC and
understands the level of competition. Bob is not the sought after coach in
the top-10 Div.1. The second 10 are the teams that would recruit Stoop’s.
He’s not leaving OU, he’s got less stress and unlimited support for a Good,
not Real Good or Excellent, coaching job, plus $4.5 mill. in the bank, yearly.
It don’t matter now,,Meyer changed his mind and now is only taking a leave of absence and will stay as coach next season,,
Tom,
Stoops has 4 Big 12 Championships and 2 BCS Championship game appearances in the last 5 years. I wouldn’t necessarily call that marginal. Very few coaches can claim that kind of success…
Berry, I disagree with on one of your staements. Fla is not a better job than OU. UF does not have a 6 decade history of Championsips, Bowl wins, and Heisman’s. UF is good for now but we all know how CFB is. Whatever goes up comes down. UF is a good job but OU has more history, tradition and hardware than UF will ever have. Go look at the trophy case.
This is too funny, every time there is an opening at a major school, the Okie fans, have to change their drawers, They just cant stand the thought of some other team wanting Stoops. and are convinced he will never divorce them. Reality is, in Collage Football, nothing is safe, or secure. so just hold on to your okie hats and ride the waves. Your never gonna change his mind if he decides to leave anyway.
Berry is 100% correct,Stoops is not going anywhere.
He has a machine in Norman and he is a classy person to boot.
Good famly men like Stoops do not just up and leave.
Another important issue,his wife has something to say anout it as well,remember she makes about $200,000 per year selling Mary Kaye Cosmetics and not likely to uproot her business and move to Florida anyway.
Mute point anyway Myer is staying.
ALL POINTS BERRY MENTIONED ARE ALL RIGHT ON POINT!!!!
Berry most of the time uses goood ole commone sense in his columns,he does this time as well.
I completely agree with that: Florida Football is a level above OU. They want somebody who knows the SEC and
understands the level of competition. Bob is not the sought after coach in the top-10 Div.1. The second 10 are the teams that would recruit Stoop’s.
I have never taken that point of view on it. I guess its very good to analysis and read up on these kind of things occasionally so that way 1 is in no way out of your loop. thanks a lot!
Hmm, I had not seriously thought about Bob Stoops. I guess anything is possible, though I still doubt it.
http://musingsandvisuals.blogspot.com/2010/12/who-will-replace-urban-meyer-at-florida.html
You are all idiots!! The ou job is the best in the country.
It would be an insult to ou if he left for Florida!!
To you idiots who say Oklahoma is not comparable to Florida…. Oklahoma is THE winningest team in college football history, with more wins than any other team since WWII. Oklahoma has 7 national titles, 42 conference title wins, THE longest active home winning streak in the nation, with one of the highest paid coaches ANYWHERE!
Stoops is hero here and will be a bonehead who has to prove himself all over again of he takes flight to Florida.
Stoops would be crazy to pass this one up again. Florida job equivalent to Oklahoma??? You gotta be kidding.