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Texas Football: Most impactful Big 12 coaching changes for Longhorns in 2019

By Andrew Miller

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns and head coach David Beaty of the Kansas Jayhawks greet each other after their game at Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. Texas won 24-17. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KANSAS - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns and head coach David Beaty of the Kansas Jayhawks greet each other after their game at Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. Texas won 24-17. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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NORMAN, OK – SEPTEMBER 08: Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops of the Oklahoma Sooners during warm ups before the game against the UCLA Bruins at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Bruins 49-21. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK – SEPTEMBER 08: Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops of the Oklahoma Sooners during warm ups before the game against the UCLA Bruins at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Bruins 49-21. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

Oklahoma defensive coordinator

Who’s in: Alex Grinch

Who’s out: Mike Stoops/Ruffin McNeill

Some of the bigger coaching news that dropped in the past two days involved the hated rival north of the Red River naming its next official defensive coordinator. Oklahoma is pretty much set on the offensive side of the ball in terms of talent and coaching, under head coach Lincoln Riley, but the defense definitely needs some help.

In the middle of the regular season, Oklahoma fired former defensive coordinator Mike Stoops. That allowed the former East Carolina Pirates head coach Ruffin McNeill to take over as the interim defensive coordinator down the stretch. If Oklahoma’s defense plays any better next season than it did for the past three years, that will be a scary proponent for the Horns.

Oklahoma’s defense clearly played better in the second meeting between them and Texas football than it did in the first this season. Texas football posted more than 45 points in the first Red River Showdown and less than 30 in the second. Stoops didn’t have a lot to work with for the Oklahoma defense, but his time in Norman was running out at the start of the 2018 regular season.

The Sooners are set to replace McNeill as the interim defensive coordinator with a former Ohio State and Washington State Cougars assistant Alex Grinch. The 2017 Broyles Award finalist and former Ohio State defensive coordinator is a nice hire for the Sooners. But, Grinch did have a rough adjusting period for the Buckeyes in the final year under legendary head coach Urban Meyer.

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