Texas Football: Mike Stoops won’t be joining Sarkisian’s staff

There were some considerations on the night of Jan. 21 that newly hired head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas football program could be bringing aboard the former Arizona Wildcats head coach Mike Stoops onto the coaching staff. But a report from Horns247 on the morning of Jan. 22 (paid content) shot down any rumors/reports that Sark and the Texas program would be bringing Stoops on their coaching staff as an assistant.

The lone on-field assistant coaching spot that Sark has left on his Longhorns staff at the moment is the linebackers coach. And knowing that Stoops made his career as a defensive coordinator/defensive front positional coach in the college football ranks, it was not completely out of the question that the rumors could be true and Sark would hire him to be his linebackers coach.

Granted that idea sent a number of Longhorns fans into a frenzy with the hope that the rumors and reports would be proved false. The former Iowa Hawkeye and assistant/coordinator of the rival Oklahoma Sooners is without a home amid the college football coaching ranks at this point in time.

Texas football doesn’t look to hire Stoops

The last major assistant position that Stoops held around the Power Five was as the co-defensive coordinator for the Sooners. He was relieved of his duties back in 2018, when head coach Lincoln Riley proceeded to hire the former Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator and current head coaching candidate Alex Grinch.

At one point during his time on staff with the Oklahoma program, Stoops was the outside linebackers coach. He also served on staff with the Sooners and Kansas State Wildcats in the 1990’s and early 2000’s prior to taking the sole head coaching he ever held.

Stoops was Arizona’s head coach from 2004-2011, registering a total record of 41-50 (.451 winning percentage).

There are a few reasons why Longhorns fans didn’t want Sark to bring Stoops on his coaching staff, outside of the rivalry with Oklahoma. Stoops hasn’t really held a major role in the college football coaching ranks in more than two years now, which could be indicative of why Texas shouldn’t hire him in general.

Under the direction of now former fourth-year head coach Tom Herman, the Longhorns finished up the 2020 season with a record of 7-3 (5-3 Big 12). Their last game resulted in a dominant Alamo Bowl win over the Colorado Buffaloes back on Dec. 29, by the final score of 55-23.