Bob Stoops explains why he won't grant interviews ahead of Tennessee vs. Oklahoma

Oklahoma will play a massive game for more reasons than one this weekend in hosting Tennessee for a Top-15 matchup. However, with all that, Bob Stoops is deciding to stay out of it over this week.

Due to multiple requests to interview him ahead of this weekend’s game between No. 6 Tennessee and No. 15 Oklahoma, Stoops has released a statement to decline all of them. He’s doing so out of respect for both teams and the respective coaches that he has obvious connections with.

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#OUDNA #Boomer pic.twitter.com/4sQDsBGmiR

— Bob Stoops (@CoachBobStoops) September 16, 2024

“Having a strong history with both Brent Venables and Josh Heupel as players/coaches has led to far too many requests for interviews – so I’m respectfully declining them all. All attention needs to be on those two coaches & their programs,” Stoops wrote in a post on social media. “I have great respect for both coaches. I’m grateful for their great work here at OU; Brent as a coach here for 13 years including our national championship in 2000. Josh as our 2000 national championship QB & coach for 10 years. I’ve often said he is the MVP of all my recruits because he was the catalyst that got us started in ’99.”

“I wish them both great success moving forward! But in the end I’m all – Boomer Sooner!” Stoops closed.

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Again, this one is significant for many reasons both for the Volunteers and the Sooners.

For one, it’s a highly-ranked matchup between two of the best in the SEC. As of the latest poll, they’re a pair of the seven teams in the top half of the Top-25.

For two, this is OU’s official debut in the Southeastern Conference. After three games to start, Oklahoma will officially open conference play as a new member. The Volunteers will be coming to Norman for their own opener in the league.

For three, though, is the most interesting considering all the connections at the school between Josh Heupel, Brent Venables, and, in this context, Stoops. Heupel was one of the nation’s best quarterbacks in two seasons there, including winning a national championship in 2000. That’s not even to mention his return as a grad assistant and then as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. As for Venables, he was an assistant on that team’s staff to start what would be 13 years there. He has since returned as head coach in what is now his third seson. Stoops was then the head coach with ’99 and ’00 being the first two of nearly two decades at OU.

This will be a reunion of all kinds with Heupel coming back with his team to face Venables and his alma mater in the place where they both truly began. That’s also exactly why Stoops is doing his best to consider all sides ahead of the game.