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Oklahoma football: Sooners up ante on teams looking to hire away Lincoln Riley

By Chip Rouse

Oct 1, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops and quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) and offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley celebrate during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops and quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) and offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley celebrate during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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The past two seasons, Oklahoma football has boasted one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The architect behind that effort is offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley.

With quarterback Baker Mayfield on the field acting as field general and Riley on the sidelines orchestrating the play calling, the Sooner offense has finished in the top five of all Football Bowl Subdivision schools in total offensive yards in each of the past two years.

The 33-year-old Riley is considered one of the brightest young offensive minds in the college game and someone who is a prime candidate to become a head coach sooner rather than later. The Sooners have been firing on all cylinders offensively ever since Riley arrived on the scene two seasons ago.

For any school out there that might be harboring the idea of luring Riley away from his Sooner family – and I can assure you the list is longer than you might think – the ante just went up. This week the OU offensive mastermind was awarded a contract extension that runs through the 2019.

According to a report in the Oklahoma City Oklahoman, Riley’s total compensation now will include a base salary of $280,000 and other income and incentives that total up to $1.3 million, making him the first OU assistant coach to exceed $1 million in total compensation.

“Why not let our competitors know that? They’re going around saying to recruits, ‘Oh, they might not still have him if you go to OU.’ Why wait to let everyone know he is coming back.” –OU President David Boren on Offensive Coordinator Lincoln Riley’s new three-year contract extension

The contract extension and compensation increase was approved this week by the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents.

“We’re hopeful he (Riley) will be with us as long as he can,” OU President David Boren told the Oklahoman.

“Lincoln’s done a phenomenal job in his two years here and we’re excited for him and his family,” head coach Bob Stoops said in a statement issued by the OU athletic department. “He’s fully committed to OU and what we’re doing as a university and a football program, and all of us are looking forward to continuing to work together to develop young men on and off the field, and bring more championships.”

Boren acknowledged that other schools that OU recruits against are planting in recruits’ heads the idea that Riley’s tenure at Oklahoma might be a very short one because of his attractiveness as a head coach candidate,

“Why not let out competitors know that?,” Boren said. “They’re going around saying (to recruits), ‘Oh, they might not still have him if you go to OU.’ Why wait to let everyone know he’s coming back.”

This is great news for the Sooner Nation. Some day, though, Lincoln Riley will be given a head-coaching opportunity. He is that good. As much as Sooner fans would like to see him stick around for a long time, his future advancement will serve as a strong testament to the quality of the Oklahoma football program and the coaching assistants under Bob Stoops – and something to be proud of, not regretful.

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