The Football Brainiacs

Image via Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

If you’ve paid any attention in recent months, you know we’ve mentioned how much more frequently we have been hearing recruits specifically mention Bob Stoops’ direct involvement. And while it’s important to note Stoops has always played a role, and a key one at that as the head coach, in OU’s recruiting, there has always been some talk behind the scenes that there was still room for improvement. Which is a statement that could apply to any number of program across the country, so that’s not intended to be a shot at OU or Stoops. But I can recall one story in particular just last year while speaking with a top recruit, who told me Stoops sent him a personal message shortly after this individual attended one of OU’s Jr. Days. Stoops thanked the recruit and his family for taking the time to visit. Which certainly sounds like the right thing to do, but that recruit’s family didn’t actually accompany him on that visit. So while it was a nice gesture on Stoops’ part, it wound up leaving this recruit with the impression it may not have really been all that personal rather than a standard message that went out to everyone.

Definitely not the end of the world, but still one of those little details that can add up over time and make a difference with a kid.

To be sure, there are previous examples in which Stoops has taken a very personal approach to a player’s recruitment. Steven Parker is a recent example that quickly comes to mind. But, in general, I’ve never really thought to Stoops as the type of head coach that in as involved as maybe some others.

However, that seems to have changed of late. Both late in last year’s recruiting cycle and perhaps even more so now that we’re well into this 2016 recruiting class. As you know, we speak with recruits from all over the country on a fairly regular basis, and if there has been one constant so far it’s their mentioning of Stoops’ direct involvement. I couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve talked with a kid (same goes for Brandon and/or Alex as well) and asked them which OU coach they’re speaking with the most frequently, and if it’s not Stoops directly he’s almost always at least mentioned as the second or third guy.

If you’ll allow me a bit of a tangent, it is commonly known in the football world that Gary Patterson runs the TCU defense. Sure, he has a defensive coordinator and that person will certainly have any number of responsibilities. But you’ll notice that no matter what coach TCU brings in on that side of the ball, the defense continues to be good, if not great. For example: when defensive backs coach Clay Jennings left TCU for Arkansas, they simply plugged in Kenny Perry. Who was previously their director of high school relations and before that was a high school head coach. When Perry left to be co-DC at Kansas, they simply bumped up a defensive backs GA in Paul Gonzales. Point being TCU has a system that Patterson runs, and he doesn’t have to go out and hire high-profile coaches to run it successfully.

All of the above led me to ask a friend “in the know” just how involved Stoops has been recently with the team. In talking to some players from OU teams past I certainly never got the indication Stoops was disengaged, but I also never got the sense he was necessarily the most ‘hands-on’ coach either. But again, it sounds like that has changed. The response I got from my friend wasn’t necessarily surprising, but it was positive. He said Stoops has been “more involved in everything (this spring)…Bob is interacting with the guys and going to coaching meetings and positions meetings and is a lot more present than before.” I followed up asking my friend if he meant more involved than the last couple years or if it was more significant than that. The response was, “never seen Bob this involved…ever.”

At the moment, some OU fans are understandably pessimistic about this upcoming season. There are certainly some whose optimism remains unwavering, but my sense is the majority of Sooner Nation seem to be taking more of a ‘wait and see approach’ to this 2015 season. And, for the sake of full disclosure, I’d probably count myself among the latter group as well. But what I continue to believe is that success has a lot to do with accountability. And knowing that Stoops is more involved, especially to the level my friend described, gives me at least the hope that not only are there two, very seasoned, extra eyes on the game plan, but also that each position coach will feel that extra sense of accountability.

We were admittedly surprised when Stoops made the changes he did on the offensive side of the ball, but left the defensive side largely intact (you know before Jerry Montgomery left and Bobby Jack Wright retired). But in looking at it now, I feel like I understand his presumed plan a little better.

Bring in a young, talented OC capable of running a system Stoops is comfortable with, thus allowing the HC to get back to his roots and be more hands-on with the defense. Most of us are pretty confident Lincoln Riley’s offense should be able to put up points. And I suspect Stoops believes that with his renewed focus on the defense, they can make significant improvements on that side of the ball as well.

Or at least that’s the plan.