HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Sitting in a hotel conference room less than 12 hours removed from Saturday’s 45-34 Orange Bowl loss to Alabama, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley reflected back on the lessons of his mentors.
“In big decisions like this, you have to take a step back and look at the whole picture with a clear mind,” Riley said specifically about the search for a defensive coordinator. “I’m not going to wait around and drag my feet. I’m going to make sure we get the very best person that we can.”
Riley learned from people like Donnie Duncan and Bob Stoops not to make rash decisions and he hasn’t — it took him until six games into his second season as head coach to part ways with defensive coordinator Mike Stoops.