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Why Lincoln Riley won't be different from Bob Stoops

Michelle R. Martinelli

Lincoln Riley doesn't appear to have any misconceptions about the challenges he faces, taking over Oklahoma's football program after Bob Stoops' surprising retirement announcement earlier this month.

He has some gigantic shoes to fill, given that Stoops is the program's winningest coach and led the Sooners to 10 Big 12 titles and a national championship in 2000. But as Riley recently penned in The Players' Tribune, despite being just 33-years-old, he's ready "to help write the next chapter" for Oklahoma football, and he knows what not to do.

Via The Players' Tribune:

"I think the biggest thing people should know out of the gate is that I don't have an ego going into this. I know some guys will get a coaching gig and immediately try to differentiate themselves from the previous coach. But honestly, I would be a complete idiot if I did that. It would also be counter to how I've found success as a coach so far during my career."

Riley paid tribute to the mentors and coaches who have helped him get to this head coaching job, declaring his admiration for Stoops and the example he set as a leader off the field - particularly after "a disgusting video" of Oklahoma students singing a racist chant circulated online a couple years ago.

He also said he plans to remain in touch with Stoops and will rely on him for guidance on how to recruit more than just an athletic player.

More from The Players' Tribune:

"One of my biggest priorities as a head coach will be recruiting the right kind of football player. I want kids whose main goal isn't to play at OU, but to achieve things far beyond that. We aren't looking for guys who we're going to have to hunt down for academic appointments or workouts. As a program, we simply don't have time for that.

"Height, weight and speed are all simple things to measure. They're plainly visible. Willingness to grow? That's trickier, but it's the metric that is going to help OU football continue to thrive."

Read Riley's full story over at The Players' Tribune.