Bob Stoops wants 'nothing to do' with college coaching

Former Oklahoma Sooners‘ great head coach Bob Stoops is still in the coaching game but just in a different arena. Stoops will leave the XFL’s Arlington Renegades this season as the league picks back up for its first season since the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, some out there wonder whether or not the Sooners legend has any plans on heading back to the college ranks. Well, while at the Bear Bryant Awards, Stoops made it clear that he wants ‘nothing to do’ with coaching at the college level.

“I want nothing to do with any of that. I love coaching the XFL Arlington Renegades. We’ve got great ownership. It’s been incredibly fun,” said Stoops. “I’ve had about five, six days of our players coming in and ramping up and onboarding. We haven’t been on the field yet. And I’m excited to work with them. It’s going to be a great, fun league.

“I loved what I did for 18 years as a head coach at Oklahoma, but that’s in my past. You know, when I left it, I just wanted my own time. Had a little bit of my own time, a little bit too much of my own time. So, the XFL fills that void perfectly. I love being in Arlington and looking forward to that adventure. We kick off the weekend after the Super Bowl. You got to admit, everybody’s looking for more football after the Super Bowl and we’re going to provide it and it’s going to be fun.”

Stoops at Oklahoma

Stoops had a terrific run as the head coach in Oklahoma, taking over the program in 1999. Although he had been coaching since 1983, where he started off at Iowa as a graduate assistant, the Sooners were the ones who gave him his first head coaching opportunity, and he did not disappoint. Stoops led Oklahoma to a national championship in 2000 over the heavily favored Florida State Seminoles 13-2. The Sooners won the Big 12 championship ten times during his era. Stoops retired from the program in 2016 after coming up short against Clemson in their College Football Playoffs Orange Bowl Semifinal matchup.

Despite his success at the college level, for nearly two decades, Stoops does not see himself returning. He wants to keep that part of his career in the past. Stoops is currently the coach of the Renegades in the XFL and appears to be happy where he’s at.