Oklahoma football coach Lincoln Riley excited for SEC move

Head coach Lincoln Riley discussed the future of Oklahoma football during his preseason press conference, Thursday. Riley praised the move to the SEC but made sure to shift focus toward the immediate future of the Big 12. The Sooners enter the season as the No. 2 team in ESPN’s preseason power rankings.

“As a team, coaches and leaders, we’ve all decided the focus after this press conference with me will be on the ‘21 season and the opportunity at hand with this team,” said Riley.

In typical fashion, the coach is looking to focus on the present. But with news this big, Riley could not avoid news about the SEC move.

“I had some general knowledge [that this could happen], but things like this, you never know if they’re going to happen until they become official,” said Riley. “I think everybody across the country has been taking a step back and looking at where you stand individually within the sport or an entire program, an athletic department, and so we’ve certainly been no different there.”

Under Riley, Oklahoma has asserted itself as one of the elite football programs, making three College Football Playoffs in his four-year tenure.

“My reaction to it — I think for the future, it’s going to be exciting,” said Riley. “I think it’s going to be a positive thing for this university, a positive thing for our athletic department, our athletes, our coaches, everybody. So it’s exciting to think about, but I guess for me it’s tempered because of the task at hand right now.”

The task at hand for Lincoln Riley is to win the school’s first national championship since 2000 under Bob Stoops. The players at Oklahoma are well aware of the task as well. They hope to be the group that finally breaks through.

“We talked to [the players] a little bit about it as the news started to break,” said Riley. “[But] these guys are getting ready to go into camp. These guys are getting ready to play and try to win position battles and win games and championships. I think for them, it’s news. It’s certainly something they’re aware of. You can’t avoid it, but at the same time, it’s not reality for us right now.”

Oklahoma opens the season against Tulane on Sept. 4 in New Orleans. Football season is less than one month away.

“I think eventually, talking season’s getting ready to be over,” Riley said. “It’s time to put the pads on and go play. That’ll be the story here and that’ll be our focus.

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