Texas Football: FAU hires Mike Stoops as DC after Horns pass on him
The former Oklahoma Sooners defensive coordinator and positional coach Mike Stoops has now seemingly found his next home on an FBS coaching staff. During the 2021 offseason, the journey to Stoops finding his next job amid the college football coaching ranks was not easy. At one point (or for at least one brief night), it looked like Stoops might land with the Texas football coaching staff. But that wound up not happening when it was all said and done.
Newly hired Longhorns head coach (and former Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator and the reigning Broyles Award winner) Steve Sarkisian wound up hiring the former Montana State Bobcats head coach Jeff Choate to be his next linebackers coach. That was the spot on Sark’s coaching staff that Stoops would’ve been likely to fill, had Texas hired him last week.
However, the next landing spot for Stoops will reportedly be with the Florida Atlantic Owls and head coach Willie Taggart (formerly of the Florida State Seminoles and Oregon Ducks). The particular position on Taggart’s staff that Stoops looks to assume next will be as the defensive coordinator.
Sources: FAU expected to hire Mike Stoops as defensive coordinator. He's the former head coach at Arizona and a long-time DC in the Big 12 at Oklahoma and Kansas State. He'd been at Alabama as an analyst the last two seasons.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 28, 2021
Where Stoops goes after Texas football saga
Stoops will take over as FAU’s next defensive coordinator after the prior person that held the position, Jim Leavitt, took his talents to join head coach Sonny Dykes and the SMU Mustangs earlier in the offseason.
And prior to taking this role as FAU’s defensive coordinator, Stoops went through the Nick Saban-coaching rehabilitation clinic with Alabama for the last two years. He served as a defensive analyst on Alabama’s staff since Oklahoma let him go following the 2018 season.
A few of the other coaching roles that Stoops held in his career were as an assistant on the coaching staff of the Kansas State Wildcats, and head coach of the Arizona Wildcats from 2004-2011. His last defensive coordinator role was with the Sooners, from 2012-2018.
FAU’s coaching staff also saw a lot of change in the last few years. Dating back to the 2013 season, FAU had five different coaches for their program. The last head coach prior to the current one Taggart was the current Ole Miss Rebels bench boss Lane Kiffin.
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FAU finished up the 2020 season with a record of 5-4 (4-2 C-USA East), including a Montgomery Bowl loss to the Memphis Tigers. Meanwhile, the Longhorns finished up the 2020 season under the direction of now former fourth-year head coach Tom Herman with a record of 7-3 (5-3 Big 12) following their Dec. 29 Alamo Bowl win over the Colorado Buffaloes.