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Tennessee Vols: Would Bob Stoops Consider A Return To Coaching?

By Zach Ragan

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 17: Head coach Bob Stoops of the Oklahoma Sooners (L) waits on the field with Steve Spurrier prior to the start of their game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 17, 2016 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 17: Head coach Bob Stoops of the Oklahoma Sooners (L) waits on the field with Steve Spurrier prior to the start of their game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 17, 2016 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee Vols’ coaching situation is a little shaky right now after another close loss to the Florida Gators.

If Butch Jones doesn’t get it together in 2017, the Tennessee Vols could be looking for a new head coach for the 2018 season.

One name that’s been floated, mostly as someone Vol fans would want, is former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops.

I’ve said that Stoops would be first on my list — he’s a proven winner and he was consistently successful at Oklahoma.

But would Stoops even want to return to coaching?

Stoops’ retirement this past June was a shock. He’s only 56 years old, and the Oklahoma program is in great shape (as evidenced by their early season win against Ohio State). He’s loved in Norman, and he was showing no signs of slowing down.

It’s been suggested that Stoops walked away because his father died of a heart attack on the football field when he was 54. If that’s why Stoops walked away, he should be applauded for being proactive. Family is obviously way more important than football.

But Stoops said in a statement when he retired that his health was fine. He even stated that he had “no incidents that would prevent me from coaching”.

Some people have said that Stoops would get back into coaching to prove he can win in the SEC. I think that seems kind of silly. Stoops is 7-4 in his career against the SEC. He’s 4-0 in his last four games against the conference, and that includes a 2014 win against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and a win against Auburn in the 2017 Sugar Bowl. I don’t think he needs to prove anything as a coach.

Honestly, I think Stoops is done as a coach. He has nothing left to prove. And it’s clear, from his presence on the sideline when the Sooners beat the Buckeyes, that his departure from Norman was on good terms.

The only thing that might motivate Stoops to return to coaching is money. He left $27 million, over the next four years, on the table when walked away from Oklahoma.

But if Stoops was willing to walk away from that amount of money, then it’s very likely his mind is set on retirement.

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And there’s nothing wrong with that.

While I’d love to see Stoops wearing orange in Knoxville, it’s hard to fault a man for walking away from the game while he still has plenty of life left to enjoy.

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