Potential future Sooners excited by Riley
NORMAN — Less than an hour after the news conference introducing him as Oklahoma’s new head football coach, Lincoln Riley sent a text to Patrick Fields.
The three-star Tulsa Union safety and 2018 Oklahoma commit was in the middle of his team camp when he saw the message, but a couple hours later, he talked to his future head coach on the phone.
“He said he’s going to give everything he has to the program, and he’s thankful for me and my leadership that I’ve shown with the 2018 class,” Fields said, recounting the conversation. “We talked about those things, and he expressed how humble he is about the opportunity and said if I never need anything to reach out to him.”
The move was similar to Bob Stoops’ first moments after being hired as Oklahoma’s head coach in December 1998. Back then, Stoops hit the recruiting trail immediately, calling future Heisman winner Jason White after his news conference and eventually winding up on his door step later that day.
With Fields at Union’s football camp at Tulsa,
Riley wasn’t going to end up at his front door on Wednesday night. But the gesture of the phone call spoke volumes to Fields.
“Even after the biggest day of his life, he still took out the time to reach out to me, speak to me on the phone,” Fields said. “That really says a lot to me about who he is, his values as a person.”
Fields, who committed to OU on March 5, wasn’t too surprised when he saw the announcement earlier in the day. To him, Riley’s decision to stay at Oklahoma after the 2016 season coupled with his contract extension and raise signaled Stoops might be retiring soon.
Fields just expected it to happen after the 2017 season.
Even with the surprise timing of the move, Fields said he remains as solid as ever in his commitment to the Sooners — and he’s not the only one.
Three-star defensive tackle Jordan Kelley, one of Fields’ high school teammates, also got a call from Riley after his promotion.
“(Stoops) has done amazing things building OU to where it’s at today,” Kelley wrote in a message. “But I’m not going to go anywhere or look at any other colleges. I’m going to stay loyal to OU because I believe in Coach Riley, and I feel that OU is going to stay at the top.”
Three-star quarterback Tanner Mordecai, who committed to Oklahoma just a week before Stoops’ retirement, is also firm in his decision. The change in leadership isn’t changing his mind about Oklahoma.
“I was surprised like everyone else and didn’t know what to think at first,” Mordecai wrote in a message. “Then I was able to talk to Coach Riley, and he assured me it’s going to be the same.
“Coach Riley was the one that believed in me and now is head coach. I am pumped to be a Sooner.”
In the days since Riley’s taken charge, the eight 2018 commits have talked in their group text message about how the coaching change could affect them. But Fields is quick to reassure everyone that there aren’t any drastic changes on the horizon.
“I told them that Lincoln Riley was taking over and none of the coaching staff is going to change at all, which is what some guys were concerned about,” Fields said. “Everything is going to be the same. It’s just Coach Bob Stoops is gone and Lincoln Riley is taking over. Everyone is really excited about it.
“I think with Lincoln Riley being younger, he’s a lot easier to relate to just because he’s younger and he has a better understanding of us. I think that’ll help generate a lot of recruitment on the offensive side, just him being the offensive coordinator as well as the head coach.”