Oklahoma fans have already been dreaming of coaching candidates as the Sooners will inevitably soon be looking for a new men's basketball coach to replace Porter Moser, and at the top of many fans' lists has been Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, who led the Sooners in 1994-2006. The thought of Sampson leaving Houston to return to Norman, though, seemed like a fantasy, but after a recent statement from Sampson, that door might actually still be at least cracked open.
Sampson during a postgame press conference after his No. 3 Cougars beat UCF last week was blunt about the state of Houston's athletic department and the hurdles it faces in recruiting to maintain the success Sampson has had there, even after a move to the Big 12.
Kelvin Sampson was blunt about the state of Houston's athletic department
“We have a very poor athletic department," Sampson said. "We’re poor. You know, we were poor when I got here and we’re still poor. We probably have the lowest budget of anybody in Power Four, you know? And, you know, the way our recruiting is going, we have to stop at some point, because we don’t have enough money to keep bringing in really good players. That’s not easy for us to do.”
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson gets into money challenges his elite program still faces: "We're still poor. We probably have the lowest budget of anybody in Power 4. The way our recruiting is going, we're going to have to stop it at some point because we don't have enough money." pic.twitter.com/wgJLjKolwv
— Chris Baldwin (@ChrisYBaldwin) February 5, 2026
Not including 2020 when there was no NCAA Tournament because of COVID precautions, Houston has went dancing seven seasons in a row under Sampson. The Cougars have reached at least the Sweet 16 in six of those NCAA Tournament appearances with two trips to the Final Four, including a runner-up finish last season.
That success, with the Cougars still a top-5 squad this season, would lead many to believe there's no way Sampson would leave Houston to return to Oklahoma to rescue the Sooners after just one NCAA Tournament berth in four seasons under Moser. However, Sampson clearly sees the writing on the wall at Houston in the new age of NIL and the Transfer Portal.
With that, though, Sampson left OU for Indiana in 2006 because of the lack of support men's basketball got from the university, especially compared to football. That problem has only grown as OU has the worst average attendance in the SEC and Moser has also been vocal about the lack of resources he has to get talent. However, a look at the crowd during OU women's basketball games at Lloyd Noble Center proves fans will fill seats to support a winning team with a coach they believe in.
Sampson's likely next move is retirement at 70 years old, but if he still has a desire to capture that national title that's eluded him to this point, his recent comment reveals he might at least be open to hear what OU has to offer to bring him back. However, even if Kelvin is not an option, he might at least advise his son, Kellen, who has been a longtime assistant under his dad after a playing career at OU, to jump at an opportunity with his alma mater instead of one day replacing his dad at Houston.