Bob Stoops is officially stepping away from the sidelines - for good this time.
The former Oklahoma Sooners coaching legend announced his retirement from coaching on Monday after a three-year run leading the Dallas Renegades in the XFL and UFL. While Stoops didn’t outline what’s next for him beyond spending more time with family, his exit from coaching has reignited a familiar conversation in Norman: Could Stoops be in line to take over as Oklahoma’s next athletic director?
The timing of Stoops’ announcement certainly raised some eyebrows among Sooner fans. Back in July, long-time OU athletic director Joe Castiglione revealed his plans to retire from his full-time role by the end of the current academic year. Though Castiglione will remain on in an emeritus capacity until 2028, the university is already deep into the process of finding his replacement - and Stoops is actually part of the 12-person committee tasked with identifying that successor.
Naturally, the overlap between Castiglione’s impending departure and Stoops’ sudden retirement from coaching has sparked a wave of speculation among fans. Social media lit up almost immediately, with Sooner faithful floating the idea of Stoops sliding into the AD role. Posts on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook groups, and message boards all echoed the same question: Is this the moment Bob Stoops trades the headset for the administrative desk?
From “Bob Stoops, Director of Athletics at The University of Oklahoma” to “Tell me he’s the next AD without telling me he’s the next AD,” fans aren’t exactly being subtle about their hopes. For many, it feels like the stars are aligning - a beloved figure with deep ties to the program, stepping away from coaching just as a major leadership position opens up.
But let’s pump the brakes.
As much as the idea might excite fans, the reality is that Stoops becoming OU’s next athletic director would be a stunner - and not in a good way. For one, the current landscape of college athletics is more complex than ever.
Between NIL, conference realignment, and the ever-shifting balance of power in college football, the role of an athletic director demands a unique blend of business savvy, political acumen, and forward-thinking vision. It’s not just about loving the school or understanding sports - it’s a full-time, high-pressure executive position.
And according to Stoops himself, it’s not a job he wants.
Back in July, during his regular radio segment “The Stoops Preview” on The Ref, he made his stance clear: “There’s a lot of things I want to do in my life, but being an athletic director isn’t one of them.” That doesn’t sound like a man who’s been quietly plotting a front-office move.
At 65, Stoops has already done the heavy lifting. He led Oklahoma to a national championship, built one of the most consistent programs in college football, and even came out of retirement once to help stabilize the team after Lincoln Riley’s departure. His recent stint with the Renegades showed he still had the passion for coaching, but this latest retirement feels different - more final, more settled.
So while it’s fun to imagine Stoops taking over the reins of OU athletics, the more likely scenario is that he continues to serve the university in an advisory or ambassadorial role - offering his wisdom and presence without the day-to-day grind of running a major athletic department.
For now, Stoops remains a central figure in the search for Oklahoma’s next AD, but not as a candidate. Instead, he’s helping shape the future of the program from the committee room, not the corner office. And given his history with the school, that’s a role he’s more than earned.