Report: Mike Stoops set to join Alabama in off-field role

Former Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops is expected to join Alabama’s staff in an off-field role, USA Today reported Wednesday.

Stoops, who was fired at midseason in 2018, would join a long line of prominent coaches who have found new opportunities under Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, either as an assistant or analyst, after being dismissed elsewhere. The list includes Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley and Butch Jones.

Sarkisian, in fact, is reportedly in line to return to Alabama as offensive coordinator after being let go after two years as the coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons.

Stoops served two stints at Oklahoma, the first starting in 1999, when he arrived in Norman at the same time as his older brother Bob, the head coach of the Sooners. Mike helped the Sooners build some dominant defenses — OU won the national championship in 2000 — before Arizona hired him as its head coach after the 2003 season.

He went 41-50 with the Wildcats and was fired halfway through his eighth season in 2011.

Mike Stoops rejoined his brother at Oklahoma as the defensive coordinator in 2012, but the Sooners often struggled on defense in the pass-happy Big 12. Oklahoma second-year head coach Lincoln Riley fired him after a 48-45 loss to Texas on Oct. 6.

If Mike Stoops is headed to the SEC, he’ll join a conference that features his younger brother Mark, who just completed his sixth season as the head coach at Kentucky.

–Field Level Media