Bruce Feldman addresses Lincoln Riley to LSU rumors

Over the past few days, there has not been a hotter name in the LSU coaching search than Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley. Even off the backs of a loss to Baylor, Riley has been linked with the Tigers.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic addressed the situation, saying he had heard “lots of chatter” surrounding Riley leaving to LSU but he’s been told that’s not going to happen.

Feldman could be addressing the general coaching carousel buzz or specifically refuting a report that alleged LSU had offered Riley a contract of eight years, $96 million.

Either way, according to Feldman, the rumors aren’t true at the moment.

Lincoln Riley adresses the rumors

Riley was asked about potentially taking the LSU job during his Monday press conference. He quickly shot down the idea, saying he was happy staying in Norman.

“I coach at the University of Oklahoma,” Riley said on Tuesday. “You know how I feel about this place and this program. We’ve all been down this road many times before. You guys know where I stand and that hasn’t changed.”

Riley was hired in 2017 after legendary head coach Bob Stoops retired. He has won four consecutive Big 12 championships and appeared in three College Football Playoffs but has yet to break through with a win. Overall, Riley has a 54-9 record during his time as the Oklahoma head coach.

The Sooners are 9-1 this season, fresh off a loss to Baylor. In order to play for the seventh consecutive conference championship, a win against in-state rivals Oklahoma State would be required on Nov. 27.

From a College Football Playoff perspective, Oklahoma is in danger of missing their second consecutive one. The committee was harsh when ranking the Sooners, dropping them five spots to No. 13 in the latest rankings.

Even when Oklahoma was undefeated, they were on the cusp of the top 10 at No. 8. Winning out and some help from teams ahead will be required to appear in Dallas or Miami.

Insiders look at possible hiring

Scott Rabalais of the Advocate in Baton Rouge mentioned Riley is one of the top candidates for the LSU job. He went on the Paul Finebaum Show last week, explaining his reasoning.

“You have Lincoln Riley, who of course is of the Sean McVay mold – the hot, young, offensive-minded coach, has won the Big 12 every year, in the Playoffs his first three years, didn’t make it last year. And you’d think: why would he leave Oklahoma? LSU has won three national titles since Oklahoma won its last one. And stomped Oklahoma on their way to their last one two years ago. Maybe he’s thinking there’s a ceiling at Oklahoma.

“It’d take a lot of money, but LSU is willing to spend it. I will say this: people that say, ‘you can’t get this guy, you can’t get that guy.’ Scott Woodward is not going to be limited by his imagination, who he can go after or what he can pay. I think for the right candidate there could be a $100-million package out there. And that’s going to get people’s attention.”