Bob Stoops Doesn’t Deny USC Coaching Chatter

Bob Stoops might be getting the itch again, and it has nothing to do with mosquito season. In recent days, the long-time Oklahoma coach-turned Fox analyst has seen his name linked with the USC opening. But unlike most rumored candidates, Stoops didn't confirm or deny interest in heading west and declined to say whether the Trojans have already reached out.

"I don't get involved in rumors. I've never acknowledged one way or the other where someone has contacted me or not, and I won't in this case either," Stoops told SiriusXM.

Stoops, 61, was a guest on SiriusXM's ESPNU Radio and was asked about any potential interest in the Trojan job: “I’m enjoying my opportunity to work with Fox. I love watching my sons — one’s playing and one’s on the sidelines coaching. But in life, you just never know whatever fits you just perfectly. And I’m not saying this does."

Stoops went 190-48 and won a National Championship (2000) as well as ten Big 12 Championships with the Sooners before walking away in 2017. Aside from a short stint as head coach of the XFL's Dallas Renegades (2020), Stoops has stayed away from the sidelines. He currently works for Fox as a college football analyst and remains one of the game's most sought-after coaches for any Power Five opening.

"They’re going to go through a list of coaches that are already on the field that probably can’t even talk to them until the season’s over. I didn’t ask for my name to be attached to this, but I can’t help it that it is,” said Stoops.