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Reports surfaced late Thursday night that Texas was expected to hire former Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops as the linebackers coach. A small meltdown occurred within the Longhorns fan base, knowing exactly what Stoops’ defense looked like during his time in Norman.
Well, it must have worked because as of Friday morning, Stoops will not be heading to Austin. According to Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, Steve Sarkisian has said he will not be hiring Stoops as the linebackers coach.
Instead, Texas will be moving in a different direction. The linebackers coach is the only spot Sarkisian has yet to fill on his staff. According to Davis, somebody else is in mind for the position.
“I’m really excited about who we’re talking to,” Sarkisian told Davis.
Stoops was Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2018. Slowly and surely, the Sooners’ weakness became their defensive scheme. It even became historically bad despite making the College Football Playoff in 2015 and 2017. Stoops was fired after the 2018 Red River Shootout that saw Texas score 48 points, the most the Longhorns have scored in the rivalry.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian tells me this morning the Horns are not hiring Mike Stoops. He does have someone else in mind for LB coach, hopes to finalize later today. “I’m really excited about who we’re talking to.”
— Brian Davis (@BDavisAAS) January 22, 2021
Stoops has spent the past two seasons working as a defensive analyst on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama. It is not known if he will still be joining the Texas staff in a different role.
From a fan’s perspective, seeing a Stoops in burnt orange would have felt awkward. Once his performance on the field and in the recruiting world came into fruition, it would have been even more frustrating.
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