Lincoln Riley’s tenure as OU’s head coach came to a stunning end Sunday.
Less than 24 hours after the Sooners’ 37-33 loss to Oklahoma State, Riley informed the team that he was leaving the program to become the next head coach at USC. Players were summoned to a meeting where Riley officially informed the team of his intentions, and former Sooners coach Bob Stoops was introduced as the interim coach.
An anonymous Oklahoma Sooners football player told The Athletic that tensions are high within the program right now.
“I kept waiting for him to say, ‘Just kidding,’” one staffer said. “And he never did.”
After his announcement, a report revealed the real reason he wanted out of Oklahoma.
“I’ve heard multiple times that Lincoln Riley was not a fan of Oklahoma going to the SEC. That is the reason he is leaving Oklahoma for USC.”
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College football insider Chris Vannini stated the same thing.
“Multiple coaches have said to me that Oklahoma becomes a much harder job in the SEC and they thought Riley would be wise to look elsewhere, whether that was LSU or USC,” he tweeted.
Riley and OU agreed to a six-year contract extension in 2020.
The Sooners not only lose to their rival this weekend but they lose their head coach half a day later. It is just a crushing turn of events for the program.
