Oregon in contact with Lincoln Riley, according to report
Did Bob Stoops check that guy's I.D.?
Our friend Scott Roussel of FootballScoop.com posted an interesting nugget tonight about a potential candidate to replace Mark Helfrich at Oregon: Lincoln Riley.
In fact, Scott singled out OU's hotshot offensive coordinator as one of the top names for the gig, along with nautical enthusiast P.J. Fleck of currently undefeated Western Michigan.
Another of BH's compadres, George Schroeder of USA Today, quickly put the kibosh on Riley's candidacy.
Would it surprise me if someone representing the Ducks reached out to gauge Riley's interest? Not really, in the sense that it never hurts to have a well-rounded list of options when filling that kind of position.
Yet, with all that Nike moolah in Eugene, I have a hard time seeing Riley in the role of head Duck. Major programs have gone the coordinator route before – I can think of one near and dear to this site's heart. However, Riley's lack of head coaching experience likely rules him out as Phil Knight's guy.
Even if it's not this opening, though, there will be another one after that. And again after that.
Despite his youth, Riley comports himself like a head coach in waiting. An apprenticeship under Bob Stoops surely makes him even more attractive to athletic directors looking to fill openings. Sooner fans should prepare themselves for the day when Riley moves on.
The guess here is that a program outside the Power 5 conferences ends up luring Riley away from Norman. It might even happen this offseason. It will be tough to see him go – he has played a huge part in getting OU back on track.
But keep in mind that if Riley knocks it out of the park as a head coach at his next stop, he could one day become the primary target of the search to replace his now mentor.