Stoops on rumors linking him to Auburn: ‘This is ridiculous’
It seems like Bob Stoops’ name gets brought up for just about every major football coaching job that comes open.
Monday night, rumors started circulating about a job that isn’t open — at least yet — when Stoops was rumored to have been contacted to coach Auburn.
Later in the evening, Stoops emphatically denied the contact or being interested in the job.
“I didn’t know Auburn had a job open,” Stoops told USA Today Sports. “I haven’t talked to anybody from Auburn. I haven’t met with anyone from Auburn nor am I set to talk to anybody. It’s just foolish speculation that just is thrown out there that has no basis to it.”
Stoops wasn’t done. “When are y’all gonna get it? You just listen to things that aren’t true, that’s what it is,” Stoops said. “This is ridiculous. You people are listening to stuff that just isn’t there. That’s just a bunch of people (reporting rumors) that are totally clueless and just make up news. That isn’t true.”
Stoops retired in the summer of 2017 after 18 years as Oklahoma’s coach, stepping aside and passing the job off to Lincoln Riley.
Auburn finished the regular season this year 7-5 under Gus Malzahn. Since playing for the national title in 2013, Malzahn’s first year, the Tigers are 40-25.
Murray still giving up football
As Kyler Murray continues to flash his football brilliance, the Oklahoma quarterback was asked Monday if he could really give up the sport for a career in professional baseball.
“I feel like I can play in the NFL, but as far giving it up, as of now, yeah, that’s the plan,” Murray said, shutting down a follow-up question.
Murray had previously said he didn’t know if a career in football was possible given his baseball contract with the Oakland Athletics. His agent, Scott Boras, said NFL opportunities wouldn’t threaten Murray’s baseball career.
The Athletics selected Murray with the ninth overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. He was awarded a $4.66 million signing bonus.
OU recently launched a “Kyler Knows” Heisman campaign, drawing similarities between he and former two-sport star Bo Jackson.
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said Murray will “absolutely” get drafted by an NFL team.
But being a potential NFL quarterback while also playing professional baseball is what makes Murray’s case different than that of Jackson’s or Deion Sanders’ — neither of whom carried the load of a quarterback.
“Conventional wisdom would think, like in spring, that he would have a hard time going from throwing a baseball to throwing a football,” Riley said. “He can athletically transition between the two. So then it comes down to physically holding up, and then the mental side of it.”
Flag for Horns down?
Part of Oklahoma’s preparation this week is to find out if flashing a “Horns down” is worthy of a penalty.
The hand gesture has long been part of the OU-Texas rivalry, but West Virginia receiver David Sills V was flagged in a game against Texas for turning his hands into the upside-down Longhorns logo.
Riley and his team needs to know if “Horns down” will be an acceptable gesture at 11 a.m. Saturday when OU takes on Texas in the Big 12 title game.
“We’re working on some clarification but I will make sure it’s fully clear to our guys what they can and can’t do,” Riley said Monday.
Sooners lose commit
Arjei Henderson, one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2019 class, decommitted from Oklahoma on Monday.
The four-star receiver from Richmond, Texas, had been committed since April 13.
Despite losing Henderson, the Sooners still have commitments from five-star receiver Theo Wease (Allen, Texas) and four-star receiver Trejan Bridges (Carrollton, Texas). Wease and Bridges are the third and 10thranked receivers in the 2019 class.
Oklahoma’s 2019 class is ranked ninth nationally.