Chris Wilson meets with M-State media
Former OU defensive ends coach Chris Wilson, hired last week to be the co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach at Mississippi State, meets for the first time with the Starkville media.
-JT
Chat with David Ubben at 11 a.m.
Ruffin McNeill will be ECU’s next head coach
Ruffin McNeill is set to be named the head football coach at East Carolina, a source at ECU has told the Daily Reflector.
A 5 p.m. Board of Trustees meeting will confirm the hiring made by ECU athletic director Terry Holland.
McNeill, 51, replaces coach Skip Holtz, who left the ECU program last week to become the new head coach at South Florida.
McNeill, an ECU alum, most recently served as Texas Tech’s defensive coordinator.
He beat out Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, who was Holland’s other finalist. Wilson interviewed with Holland in Greenville, N.C.
-JT
If Wilson leaves, who takes over as o-coordinator?
A source out of East Carolina told me this morning that Kevin Wilson has interviewed for the job at East Carolina, and interviewed well.
If ECU athletic director Terry Holland settles on Wilson (Holland is also interviewing Ruffin McNeill and possibly Mike Shula), he could make the announcement within the next 24 hours.
That means Bob Stoops will be looking for his fifth offensive coordinator.
He won’t have to look far.
Look for Stoops to promote either WRs coach Jay Norvell or QBs coach Josh Heupel to offensive coordinator, and make the other assistant coordinator.
Stoops will have a difficult decision choosing between the two.
Norvell has experience calling plays. But not much. While he was the offensive coordinator at Nebraska from 2004-06, he wasn’t the play caller there. Head coach Bill Callahan was. Norvell, however, left for UCLA in 2007 to call plays for coach Karl Dorrell. But Norvell’s stint there lasted only a year; Dorrell was fired after the 2007 season, and Norvell landed on Stoops’ staff as the WR coach/asst. offensive coordinator.
Heupel has no experience calling plays, but has been outstanding coaching the QBs at OU since coming back to Norman in 2005. He helped converted QB-WR-QB Paul Thompson lead OU to a Big 12 title in 2006. In 2007, Heupel mentored freshman Sam Bradford, who had one of the most efficient freshman passing seasons in NCAA history. In 2008, Bradford won the Heisman Trophy. And last season, Heupel tutored freshman Landry Jones, who made marked improvement over the course of the season.
Both Norvell and Heupel have aspirations of calling plays. But only one will be able to do it. If Wilson bolts for ECU, Stoops will have a tough decision to make.
* There were reports that Heupel is interviewing for Minnesota’s vacant offensive coordinator job, which seems to come open every year. Heupel was rumored to be in the mix for the same position last year, but ultimately backed out. Again, it seems that Heupel has pulled his name from consideration for the Gophers’ job. One reason may be the possible departure of Wilson, which would set him for a promotion on the Sooners’ staff. Heupel is also being mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Sonny Dykes as Mike Stoops’ coordinator. Heupel was an assistant at Arizona before coming to OU. This could be a more attractive spot for Heupel than Minnesota. But don’t expect him to leave, if Wilson goes to ECU.
* If Wilson goes, Bob Stoops may have to replace 3 assistants instead of two. Wilson brought in offensive line coach James Patton from Northwestern when he took over as OU’s offensive coordinator. The two coached together at Northwestern; Patton lived with Wilson’s family when he was a graduate assistant at Miami of Ohio. It wouldn’t be shocking if Wilson took Patton with him to East Carolina, too. That would leave OU searching for an o-line coach, tight ends/fullbacks coach and defensive ends coach.
* As for the search for a d-ends coach, I wouldn’t put too much stock into a Houston TV report that cited Jim Jeffcoat stating he was as Houston’s d-line coach. Not to say the TV station made anything up. But what else was Jeffcoat, who was being interviewed for a piece about his son, going to say? Jeffcoat is still believed to be the favorite to replace Chris Wilson as OU’s defensive ends coach, though Stoops is looking at other candidates. Among those could include Ruffin McNeill, if he is not named head coach at ECU.
-JT
Follow Jake Trotter on Twitter: @Jake_Trotter.
Kiper’s Mock Draft out
ESPN’s Mel Kiper released his first NFL Mock Draft this week, and the Sooners are well represented:
No. 2 Detroit Lions: DT Gerald McCoy
No. 4 Washington Redskins: QB Sam Bradford
No. 13 San Francisco 49ers: OT Trent Williams
No. 25 Baltimore Ravens: TE Jermaine Gresham
-JT
OU target OT Brice Schwab commits to ASU
Junior college offensive tackle Brice Schwab, who was considering Oklahoma after de-committing from USC following Pete Carroll’s departure, has verbally committed to Arizona State.
The Sooners, looking to add a juco tackle to their class, were hoping to talk the 6-8, 320-pound Schwab into taking a visit to Norman. Instead, the No. 9 overall juco prospect nationally, decided Tempe was the place for him.
OU still has a a chance of adding that juco tackle. John Cullen, the No. 3 juco prospect, is high on the Sooners after visiting Norman last month.
-JT
Kevin Wilson a finalist for East Carolina job
OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson is one of four “prime targets” to become East Carolina’s next head football coach, the Daily (Greenville, N.C.) Reflector reported Wednesday night.
A source close to the ECU search told Reflector reporter Nate Summers that ECU athletic director is targeting Wilson, Jacksonville Jaguars QBs coach and former Alabama head coach Mike Shula, former Texas Tech defensive coordinator and ECU alum Ruffin McNeill and ECU co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Steve Shankweiler.
ECU offered Middle Tennessee State head coach Rick Stockstill the job earlier this week, but he declined.
Wilson is expected to interview at ECU for the job as soon as Thursday.
-JT
Texas A&M 65, OU 62: Thoughts and observations
Tuesday night had to frustrate Oklahoma for plenty of reasons. The most frustrating aspect might have been playing by far their best game on the road and not being able to produce a win with that performance.
That said, the players didn’t look to be completely crushed after the game or angry at the loss. Not saying that’s a bad thing.
It’ll be interesting to see what they look like physically and emotionally against Texas Tech in Lubbock on Saturday.
A couple notes from the box score:
- Oklahoma was outshot 62.5 percent to 35 percent in the first half and only trailed by 10. Earlier in the season, if that had been the case, they might have been down 15-20.
- The game finished with 40 fouls, but 13 of those came in (I believe, but my notes are trapped elsewhere) the first seven minutes of the first half. Generally, I hate it when anyone complains about officiating, but I thought Tuesday’s game was somewhat inconsistent. Touch fouls on the perimeter and on entry passes were being whistled on one possession, and a player would get mauled by a defender on the way to the hoop and get no whistle on the next.
(Full disclosure: I got my officiating degree from the Let ‘Em Play School of Refereeing, so maybe I’m biased.) I didn’t think it necessarily swung the game either way, just thought it was inconsistent.
But, it’s never a good sign when, in a game that wasn’t that physical, two guys foul out and four others have four fouls.
Other thoughts:
- Not sure what was wrong with Steven Pledger. He had a really bad miss from the top of the key in the first half, airballed another 3 and missed a wide-open look from the right corner on a nice dish from Tommy Mason-Griffin late in the game. Finished 0-for-5, and didn’t score in 21 minutes. Surprising after a really solid game against Missouri after Tony Crocker’s injury forced him to play 38 minutes. He really just looked uncomfortable for most of the night. Maybe just a freshman pure shooter in the most intimidating atmosphere OU has played in this season on a goal he was unfamiliar with. Who knows.
- I don’t recall if the Sooners had a timeout left, but without NBA rules, I’m not sure why more college teams in Oklahoma’s situation on the final possession don’t set up a pass to halfcourt and then call timeout, rather than try to throw up a rushed 3-pointer from a full-court offense. It was a nice play set-up to get Tiny Gallon the ball in the middle of the floor, but I can’t help but think the result might have been better had he called timeout as soon as he got the ball.
(If they didn’t have one, disregard this in relation to the Sooners, and view it as a statement in relation to college basketball as a whole. That makes me feel better than admitting I wasted time writing this and you wasted time reading it.)
- Not sure why Andrew Fitzgerald didn’t get in the game with Ryan Wright and Gallon in foul trouble. There was a point in the second half where Gallon was exhausted, and Wright came in and picked up two fouls in like 30 seconds. Gallon came right back in. My guess is Fitzgerald just hasn’t impressed in practice lately.
- Tommy Mason-Griffin impressed pretty much everyone with his performance. Capel called him the best player on the floor, and I think it’d be difficult to find someone in attendance who wouldn’t agree. Can’t say enough about a freshman playing like he did in a tough atmosphere. He’s the reason the Sooners hung around in the first half.
Kevin Wilson may leave (but not for the job you think)
Rumors ran wild Wed. morning that OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson would be named Louisiana Tech’s next head coach.
BREAKING NEWS as Oklahoma Sooner Offensive Coordiator Kevin Wilson has been hired as its new head coach. A press conference is scheduled for 3 pm this afternoon in Ruston.
That came this morning from FootballCoachScoop.com.
That report turned out to be false. While it seems that La. Tech made overtures to Wilson, both Wilson and OU coach Bob Stoops have shot down those rumors, calling it “misinformation.”
La. Tech could hire a coach within the day, but it appears it will be Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes. Tom Dinehart is reporting that Dykes is in Ruston right now and has been offered the job.
But another still vacant position could make its way back to Wilson. After being turned down by Middle Tennessee State head coach Rick Stockstill, East Carolina is back on the hunt for a head coach to replace Skip Holtz. Reports out of Greenville are that Bowling Green head coach Dave Clawson has now been offered the job. But what if he turns it down?
ECU could circle around to Wilson, who is a native of North Carolina, went to college at UNC and for a short while was a high school in the state.
The Daily (N.C.) Reflector has mentioned Wilson as a possible candidate. If ECU gets serious about Wilson, OU could indeed be losing its offensive coordinator.
(For what it’s worth, FootballCoachScoop.com is now saying Wilson will be targeted by ECU).
-JT
OU picks up No. 29
Not having a defensive ends coach hasn’t slowed down Oklahoma’s recruitment of the position.
The Sooners snagged a commitment from 4-star defensive end Geneo Grissom, OUInsider.com and SoonerScoop.com reported Tuesday night.
Grissom, out of Hutchison, Kan., chose OU over his home state Kansas Jayhawks.
His verbal gives OU the top-three prospects out of the Sunflower State, along with linebacker Justin McCay (No. 1) and quarterback Blake Bell (No. 2).
Grissom is OU’s 29 commitment for the class of 2010. And the Sooners, which are also currently searching for a defensive ends coach to replace Chris Wilson, may not be done.
This weekend, OU is scheduled to host defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, the No. 2 overall prospect nationally according to ESPNU.
-JT
