Where things stand with LSU, Oklahoma on the coaching carousel

The coaching carousel is running rampant. With both LSU and Oklahoma jobs open, the college football community has some more fireworks planned over the next week or so.

On Sunday, Florida made a splash by naming Louisiana head coach Billy Napier the next leader of the program. However, USC surprised many when Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley decided to leave Norman for Los Angeles.

After a week filled with some Riley to LSU buzz, we now have two openings of future SEC opponents who need to nail both hires so each prestigious program can return to national championship form. Unfortunately, each could have their eye on Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops.

After a crazy weekend, KSR has done the digging and found out where we are in each search. Things could be happening fast this week.

Scott Woodward must figure out something quick

When Scott Woodward was brought in to be the athletics director at LSU, the administrator had quite the track record. Woodward hired Chris Petersen at Washington. At Texas A&M, he hired Jimbo Fisher and men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams.

The LSU alumnus and Baton Rouge native is known as a guy who can go out and hire big-name coaches. That was proven again when Woodward got women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey to leave Baylor after winning multiple national championships in Waco.

Expectations were high for this search once LSU announced in October that Ed Orgeron would not return for the 2022 season. However, the Tigers made it through the final week of the season without nailing down a hire.

Woodward has long been linked to Fisher, but it does not appear that the former LSU offensive coordinator is willing to leave College Station. Riley appeared to be the next top target, and he is off to Los Angeles. Who is next? No one truly knows.

Earlier on in the search, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and Baylor’s Dave Aranda were listed as top candidates. Baylor is currently working on a contract extension for the former LSU defensive coordinator under Les Miles and Ed Orgeron. The Bears are getting ready to play in the Big 12 Championship this week. Meanwhile, things have gone quiet around Campbell since the Cyclones ended their season on Friday.

Elsewhere, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops and Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien were also listed as candidates. Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell has long been an option. Each could be the guy for LSU, but it’s important to remember that Woodward works in the shadows, and not much info is getting out from his camp.

As of now, there appear to be two schools of thought forming at LSU. The Tigers have their guy and are working on nailing down a contract this week. Or, the decision-makers are onto the next step of their search and could need to find some more candidates.

Stoops appears to be firmly in the mix, but we’re not sure where he lands in the pecking order on the Bayou. We should find out in a few days.

New ground for Oklahoma

For the first time since December 1998, Oklahoma will be going through a true coaching search. That is a long time.

Athletic director Joe Castiglione hired Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoops and he would run things in Norman for 18 years. After seeing hotshot offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley do great work with the Sooners, Stoops decided to step away and leave the program in Riley’s hands.

However, the former Texas Tech walk-on has moved on after seven total seasons at Oklahoma. Castiglione must now go through a real coaching search for the first time in over two decades.

The search is green, and names are beginning to emerge. Iowa State’s Matt Campbell feels like a good fit. Kentucky’s Mark Stoops has a connection and his brother, Bob, could have some say in the search, and he has a good relationship with Castiglione. The future hall of famer will serve as the interim head coach for the Sooners.

Tennessee’s Josh Heupel and Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables could also be options, but some patch-up work could be needed. Bob Stoops fired both after each had long coordinator tenures in Norman. Those relationships could be icy.

There is plenty of work waiting for Castiglione and his team. However, the Florida search showed us that these things can happen fast if the right candidate is found. Meanwhile, LSU is also showing us that the searches can be stretched out if a school misses on a candidate or two.

Mark Stoops is in the running for both gigs. Buckle up as we ride out this coaching carousel storm over the next few days.