Exec: Riley won't depart
NORMAN — Lincoln Riley knew the question was coming.
A little more than an hour after news broke that the Cleveland Browns had fired coach Hue Jackson, Riley, whose former Heisman Trophy winner is quarterbacking the Browns, was asked if he had any
interest to coach in the NFL.
“Not right now,” Riley said. “The truth is for me, I love Oklahoma. I love coaching here. I love college football. I certainly don’t have that itch right now. I don’t know that I ever will.”
Gil Brandt believes him.
The 85-year-old former vice president of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys said he knows Riley as well as anybody in the coaching business. Brandt worked in the Cowboys organization from 1960-89 and is now an analyst for NFL.com.
“I don't think that he'll ever leave Oklahoma as long as they treat him fairly,” Brandt said. “I think he loves the school, he loves recruiting, he loves building something. I think he would be great, but I don't ever think he'll leave OU.”
A half century separates Riley and Brandt in age, but they developed a relationship almost 10 years ago when Riley was an assistant at Texas Tech. Brandt got to know the young coach as Riley recruited Dallas-area prospects. They’ve since kept in touch. Caitlin Riley recently sent Brandt a picture of him and Lincoln. They exchange Christmas cards. Brandt sent gifts when Riley’s daughters were born.
When Bob Stoops was searching for a new offensive coordinator after the 2014 season, he
got a call from Brandt, who wanted to pitch Riley for the job. But as Brandt started talking, Stoops started laughing.
“What are you laughing about?” Brandt asked Stoops.
Stoops told him that Riley was sitting outside his office, about to be interviewed.
Brandt’s belief in Riley has only solidified in the last season and a half. Riley is 19-3 as Oklahoma’s coach, and the 7-1 Sooners are in the hunt for another College Football Playoff appearance.
“Lincoln Riley can do anything in the world that he wants to do,” Brandt said. “He's as good as any college coach there is in America. He could be president of the United States and be good. He could be an NFL coach and be really good. The guy is an unusual talent.”
Oklahoma’s offense has ranked top-10 nationally in every season since Riley arrived in 2015. OU ranked first nationally in total offense last season, averaging 580 yards per game. The Sooners are averaging 548 yards per game this season — fourth in the country — despite averaging more yards per play than a year ago.
Baker Mayfield won the Heisman in Riley’s offense, and OU quarterback Kyler Murray is in a two-man race for the award this season with Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Though there’s no assurance Riley’s schemes would translate to the NFL, a June feature in Sports Illustrated's Monday Morning Quarterback
was headlined: ‘Everybody wants to talk to Lincoln Riley.’
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, 32, is establishing a precedent for young, offensiveminded coaches whom NFL front offices covet. McVay’s Rams are 8-0 and second in the NFL with 446 yards per game.
McVay, like Riley, is a master of offense, but their career arcs bear no similarities. McVay has been a full-time coach in the NFL since 2010. He got his first NFL job in 2008 as an assistant wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
McVay played wide receiver at Miami (Ohio) but has never coached college football. The NFL is in his blood. His grandfather, John McVay, worked in the San Francisco 49ers’ front office from 1980-99.
Riley’s resume is void of NFL experience.
“I like the age group a lot,” Riley said when asked what he loves about college football. “These guys are kind of still in the middle between being young, being a teenager and developing into grown men, so it’s a pretty impactful time for guys. I enjoy this part of it.
“I like the atmospheres.
I like the rivalries. It’s one of the most popular sports on earth for a reason.”
Riley is college football’s 16th-highest paid coach at $4.8 million annually — a number that’s sure to rise soon. His boss, Joe Castiglione, has been a stabilizing force in OU’s athletic department for the last 20 years.
Riley became the youngest coach in college football when Castiglione tabbed him to lead the Sooners in the post-Stoops era.
“Oklahoma has been great to me,” Riley said. “They didn’t have to give me a shot three years ago and certainly didn’t have to give me a shot a year and a half ago. That’s something I’ll never forget.
“I think we’ve got everything we need here to be successful for a long, long time.”
Though he knew the question was coming, Riley handled himself well Monday when addressing a potential leap to the NFL.
It was a practice run for what’s to come.
“Every time an opening comes up,” Brandt said, “Lincoln's name is gonna be at the top of the list.”