Lincoln Riley is gone from Oklahoma as he heads to the West Coast to try to make USC a title contender again. Who could replace him? Here are five names to watch.
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MATT CAMPBELL, Iowa State head coach
Campbell has had major success in the Big 12 and has been a thorn in the side for the Sooners. He knows the lay of the land in the conference, he’s a great talent evaluator and developer and it would be hard to see him struggle in Norman.
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JOSH HEUPEL, Tennessee head coach
How interesting is this? He had some success at UCF and had a surprisingly effective year at Tennessee in his first season. The offense has been especially effective and, as a former legendary QB for the Sooners, he would be a fan favorite.
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KLIFF KINGSBURY, Arizona Cardinals head coach
I don’t think this is an option but he’s being mentioned already as a target. He’s clearly a great offensive mind and would be an amazing fit here but with the Cardinals so successful I can’t imagine they let him walk back to college football.
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MARK STOOPS, Kentucky head coach
He’s No. 1 on my list because of the combination of his last name and the amazing job he’s done at Kentucky. It’s not easy to make Kentucky a contender in the SEC but the build he did there has been amazing and he’d obviously be a popular name in Oklahoma. The issue? He’s had some offensive troubles at Kentucky at times and the Sooners need offense to be effective in the Big 12 and down the road in the SEC. And a defensive-minded coach might be a hard sell.
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BRENT VENABLES, Clemson defensive coordinator
The former Oklahoma defensive coordinator has been amazing at every stop and is arguably the best defensive coordinator in college football at Clemson. He doesn’t have head coaching experience like the rest on this list but that’s because he’s been picky. He’d be a great fit.
