Former Oklahoma head coach not interested in school's AD opening
Bob Stoops was hired to coach the Sooners during Castiglione's first year at the helm. He brought OU back to national prominence, coaching in Norman from 1999 to 2016, and winning the national championship in 2000. Additionally, he served as the interim head coach for Oklahoma's Alamo Bowl victory over Oregon to close out the 2021 season, after Lincoln Riley bolted for Southern California. Stoops helped guide the team and fanbase through a rocky season and became even more of a legend in Sooner Nation during a difficult time.
More: Social media reactions to the news of Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione retiring
Castiglione, OU's AD since 1998, isn't retiring immediately, but the search is on to replace him. However, it looks like Stoops won't be in the running for the gig.
At Oklahoma's press conference on Tuesday to officially announce Castiglione's transition, Stoops was in attendance, and Carey Murdock, who covers OU for On3 Sports and SoonerScoop, asked the former coach about his interest in the AD job.
"Oh no, no, no, no," Stoops said. "If I wanted another job, I'd be a head coach again. At a university or somewhere. No, no. That job would never have been for me."
Stoops has coached in two versions of the XFL and currently coaches in the UFL, a spring football league. He initially coached the Dallas Renegades before the team became the Arlington Renegades. If Stoops coaches again in 2026, it'll be his fifth season of spring football. He won a championship for Arlington in the XFL in 2023. He clearly has no interest in being an administrator and even told Murdock that people still call asking if he's interested in taking a college head coaching job.
As for who could replace Castiglione, it looks like Mississippi State AD Zac Selmon, who tutored under Castiglione for many years, is one of the front-runners. Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt is another one of the prevalent names in the conversation as well.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
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