It’s been nearly eight years since Bob Stoops was last a full-time coach at the college level.
But when it comes to the state of the sport, the former Oklahoma head coach has some thoughts.
Appearing on 92.3 The Fan’s Afternoon Drive on Wednesday, Stoops discussed the upcoming UFL season. And in doing so, the Arlington Renegades head coach noted some of the benefits he has enjoyed while coaching in the pro ranks.
“There’s no babysitting. I don’t have to go to an academic meeting. I don’t have to call Johnny’s parents because Johnny go to class or Johnny won’t go to study hall. I don’t have to go to a recruiting meeting,” Stoops said. “So it’s just football. It makes it kind of fun and easy.”
Asked specifically about the state of college football as it relates to coaches, Stoops bluntly replied, “It’s not very good. I don’t think it’s very good for anybody… is it sustainable? In my eyes, it’s not.” He also went on to advocate for the sport to forego its current NCAA setup in favor of a more professional model.
“It’s a pro model right now with college football. It’s a pro model. So the NCAA isn’t governing it,” Stoops said. “We need to have a commissioner. We gotta have salary caps on what you can spend. You’ve gotta have contracts, on and on. I don’t see how you cannot if it’s going to continue this way.”
Stoops is hardly the first public figure to express such sentiment and at this point, it seems to be a matter of not “if” but “when” college football — or at least the Power 5 conferences — will ditch the NCAA and become its own entity. Regardless of where you stand on NIL, the transfer portal, paying the players outright, etc., it’s become clear that the NCAA hasn’t been equipped to handle any of it, which has led to different rules in different states.
While Stoops obviously has incentive to praise his current gig in the UFL, it’s also telling that a coach of his stature would seemingly prefer to work in a spring football league than remain in the current college landscape. In this past offseason alone, we’ve seen Power 5 head coaches leave for coordinator gigs — both in the NFL and college alike — which is perhaps the biggest indication that their complaints about the state of the sport aren’t just sour grapes.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.