Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma Sooners. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Lincoln Riley could be headed to the NFL after this season.
The decision to swap Bob Stoops for Lincoln Riley raised some eyebrows in Norman, but the young offensive guru has answered the call after turning the Sooners’ passing attack into the most feared unit in the country. Under his watch, Oklahoma has gone 36-6, winning the Big 12 in each of the last three seasons. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray picked up Heismans before being picked No. 1 overall, while Jalen Hurts came darn close in 2019.
After college compatriots like Matt Rhule made the jump to the NFL, the 36-year-old Riley almost looks too good to be true given his age, success, and record working with quarterbacks. If he and Spencer Rattler put together another Big 12 title-winning season, look for these four teams to ditch their current coach for Riley.
These four NFL teams need to hire Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma.
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Atlanta Falcons
It’s a minor miracle that Dan Quinn managed to keep his job after last season, as his struggles following Atlanta’s Super Bowl collapse have led to some in the great state of Georgia calling for his head. Quinn has gone 7-9 despite having one of the league’s best passing games thanks to the ageless Matt Ryan and the mercurial Julio Jones.
Some fresh blood is needed to shake things up in a tough division, and Riley looks like the perfect man for the job.
While his reputation as a quarterback whisperer is certainly deserved, Riley loves a good run between the tackles, as Oklahoma led the Big 12 in rushing yards per game. If he’s able to hire a defensive coordinator that can fix that wildly inconsistent unit and restore balance to the Atlanta offense for the first time since Kyle Shanahan was the OC, the trio of Riley, Ryan, and Jones could be enough to get Atlanta back into the postseason while giving them the tools to make a deep run in Riley’s first season.