The joke was easy to make.
Amidst rumors of Dallas Cowboys’ head coach Jason Garrett on his way out, Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley was coaching inside Jerry Jones’ home away from home—AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
So, yes, Oklahoma’s head coach was in Arlington.
Riley, a Texas native, has been the public’s easy choice to peg as Jones choice as his next head coach when or if he decides to move on from Garrett after this season.
The owner of the Dallas Cowboys was watching as Oklahoma won its fifth-straight Big 12 Championship, and Jones came away impressed with Riley and his counterpart, Matt Rhule.
“Well I am impressed with him, but boy, I’m impressed with Baylor’s Rhule too,” Jones told Dallas-Fort Worth radio station 105.3 The Fan Friday. “Two outstanding coaches at the stadium this weekend and that’s just that. They’ve done a great job positioning their teams, they’re sound in the way they’re approaching their teams. So that was a great chance to see a couple of great coaches out there.”
During Thursday’s initial College Football Playoff press conference between Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, LSU’s Ed Orgeron and Riley, the Oklahoma head coach was asked if rumors about the NFL would be a distraction during Peach Bowl prep.
He answered the long question with a one-word answer.
“No.”
Jones, though, seems reluctant to going all-in on a college coach.
“College coaches have the lowest, at head coach coming directly into head coach, have the lowest percentage rate of success as opposed to coming from coordinator as opposed to coming from the NFL or as opposed to coming from a head coaching job in the NFL,” Jones told the radio station. “It’s pretty obvious they have to get acquainted with personnel.”
Riley has downplayed the NFL ever since the first rumors linked him to NFL organizations.
The Cowboys’ interest has yet to be made public if it is there. Jones still has to make the leap to fire long time head coach Garrett before that point gets here.
The rumors are sure to ramp up, but for now, Riley and Oklahoma will play in the College Football Playoff at the Peach Bowl on Dec. 28.
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