Bob Stoops makes his feelings crystal clear on Oklahoma’s new AD

Legendary Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops said all that fans need to hear about the new leader of the Sooners' athletic department.

Stoops, as usual, was on KREF on Friday just before news became official that OU hired Roger Denny to replace the retiring Joe Castiglione as the university's 12th athletic director. Denny was an unknown hire that had fans perplexed, but for everything that's unknown about Denny, Stoops' words should make fans feel at least a little bit better about the hire.

Bob Stoops shares thoughts on new OU AD Roger Denny

Denny had been at Illinois since 2021 as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director in charge of the Fighting Illini football program. However, before that, Denny spent about 15 years as an attorney, which is reportedly what made him such an attractive candidate for OU during a new age of college athletics.

Stoops was part of the 12-team committee, led by Randall Stephenson, that was assembled to ultimately find Denny. The Athlete Group was also hired to assist with the search.

Those extra efforts led to the unthinkable hire that was never mentioned as a candidate beforehand and had no prior connections to Oklahoma, but those making the decisions still clearly believed was the best man for the job.

That means not only is Stoops an OU staple who is still around the athletic department and wants best for the university, but he was actually part of choosing Denny as the best fit, so his opinion on Denny is more well-informed than anyone. However, Stoops' comments came before the hire was announced, so he was still tight-lipped, and it's unlikely Stoops would trash a hire he just helped make. Regardless, Stoops was still in the room while deciding who to hire and apparently agreed Denny was the top choice.

"I'm very impressed with Roger," Stoops said on the radio. "Everything about him. His experience. To me, experience matters. I say it all the time, in the coaching world, athletic director, in every role there is, the experience you've had, what you've lived, makes a big difference, and how much success you've had. So, yeah, I'm obviously all on board, excited about it."