It’s been a whirlwind of a day around the college football world. That could now include Kliff Kingsbury leaving the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Earlier in the day, reports surfaced that Lincoln Riley was about to accept the USC Trojans head coaching job. Given the success Riley has had in Norman, that has to be considered a shock.
Now comes this report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicating that the Sooners are targeting Kingsbury to be their next head coach to replace Riley on the sidelines.
As Schefter noted, Kingsbury is under contract with the Cardinals through the 2022 season. Something would have to come to fruition for Arizona to let him out of his contract.
The former college head coach posted a 35-40 record with Texas Tech from 2013-18 before being hired by the Cardinals. After some initial struggles in the desert (13-18-1 first two seasons), Kliff Kingsbury has Arizona with the best record in the NFL at 9-2.
As for who might take over on an interim basis, other reports indicate that former Sooners head coach Bob Stoops could man the sidelines for the short-term.
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To say that this news could shake the foundation of both the college football and NFL worlds would be a massive understatement. Kingsbury returning to college would help Oklahoma make the transition from the Big 12 to the SEC. Meanwhile, Riley heading to Southern California could end up being a major recruiting boon for USC.
As for Kingsbury and his Cardinals, it’s not yet known whether Oklahoma’s interest in the young head coach is mutual. It would be a lateral move for him.
Stay tuned. There’s so much more to this developing story.