After 18 years as the head football coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, Bob Stoops stepped down Wednesday. It was a stunning move by Stoops, who is just 56 years old and has a team that is among the top College Football Playoff contenders for this year. Surely there's something more than Stoops' claim that he just wants to "live his life" behind his sudden departure. Stoops has said his health is fine, which has led to plenty of rumors about what Bob Stoops will do next.
There's one notable word missing from Stoops' statement: retire (or any of its variations). He also said he thinks " feel I've fulfilled my purpose here at OU as its head football coach." Well read between the lines folks: Stoops isn't retired and has a something else up his sleeve.
With that in mind, below are five of the top conspiracy theories about what Stoops will do next. Jobs like ESPN analyst aren't included, because that one actually makes some sense.
1. He's Going To Coach The Chicago Bears
Did you know Bob Stoops bought a $2.5 million house in Chicago? Various news outlets have mentioned that in the past 24 hours or so and the implication is clear: Stoops could go coach the Bears. FanSided has already made a post on it and it makes for a great theory. Why buy a house in Chicago if you aren't going to live there a bunch? The Bears job is probably going to come open since John Fox has not posted great results and Stoops has been linked to NFL jobs in the past. Heck, even USA Today and Pro Football Talk have thrown out the idea of Stoops heading to the NFL.
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2. He's Going To Land The Notre Dame Job
Guess what other job fits Stoops' new house: Notre Dame. The Brian Kelly era is on the decline and there's a good chance he gets fired (or chooses to leave) if Notre Dame struggles again in 2017. The Stoops-to-ND theories are already out there and Stoops is a Catholic. That always increases the attractiveness for both sides. And if Stoops wants to coach again, there really might not be a better gig than Notre Dame. Then again, given his penchant for giving players with off-the-field issues a second chance, maybe he's not a perfect fit.
3. He's Going To Coach A Crappy School (Like Kent State)
Maybe Stoops is ready for the ultimate challenge for a head coach: taking on a terrible football program and making them great for an extended period of time. There's a prime school to fit that bill for Stoops: Kent State. The Golden Flashes have been awful since Darrell Hazell left, as Paul Haynes has posted a 12-35 record in four years and is all but guaranteed to get fired barring a massive turnaround this year. And Stoops has ties to the area. He's from Youngstown and coached at Kent State for a year. What better way to establish his legacy as an all-time great than by getting Kent State and its one conference title and 0-2 bowl game record into national relevance?
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4. He's Going To Become The Sooners AD
There's precedence for a coach becoming the athletic director. Barry Alvarez did it at Wisconsin, Tom Osborne did it at Nebraska and former OU head coach Bud Wilkinson did that as well. Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione has served in that role since 1998, so perhaps he'll step down himself in the near future. Stoops is taking on a "special assistant to the AD" role, perhaps grooming him to take over in the near future.
5. He's Going To Just Retire
This might be the most crackpot theory of them all. After all, what man in his right mind would walk away from coaching the Oklahoma Sooners? He was set to make $5.75 million this year after just signing a contract extension less than a year ago. The Sooners were set for another strong season and Stoops was the greatest coach in program history. So what could make Stoops walk away if it's not one of the above reasons?
Maybe Stoops really does simply want to "go live life" and enjoy the rest of his time away from the rigors of college football. It's a demanding position, with plenty of stress and more hassles than most jobs. By retiring, Stoops can go enjoy the rest of his life with his wife and three kids. His two twin sons are set to be seniors in high schools this year, allowing Stoops and his wife to be true empty nesters (perhaps at that swanky new house in Chicago). There's also the fact his father died at the age of 54, after suffering heart attack while coaching.
Stoops isn't a lifer in the way Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden were. He said he wasn't going to coach forever, so maybe it really was just time for Stoops to walk away.
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