Oklahoma 247 thoughts

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I have spoken to sources on the LSU side of things and sources around the OU side of things.

*** First, the LSU side of things:

I think everyone is well aware that where there is smoke, there is fire when discussing Lincoln Riley and LSU. That said, I don't think it's gotten much further than LSU reaching out to Riley's reps and talking money at this point -- if that. Is Riley interested in leaving? I haven't heard that to be the case at all yet, but from one source on the LSU side that is very well-connected, "They are going to make Riley say no. Woodward wants him badly. He has been given the go-ahead to do and offer what's needed to land Riley and if that is 15 million a year, then it's 15 million a year."

Another few sources have thrown around numbers like 100 million dollars. I don't know that I 100% buy that, but I think Woodward is looking to make as big of a splash as he can and despite some OU fans feelings after the Sooners first loss in the last 18 games, Riley is as big of a splash as there are not names Nick Saban in CFB.

Again, the question is if Riley is about money. So far, he hasn't been about that and has been rumored to have turned down interest from some pretty big jobs like the Dallas Cowboys and a few others to stay at Oklahoma. That dates back to his time as an assistant when you heard rumors from the likes of Oregon looking at him as a potential HC before he was offered the job at OU when Bob Stoops retired.

I personally don't see him leaving for the LSU job. I have told a lot of people that, that have reached out via PM on here or DM's on Twitter. However, I do think OU will likely restructure his contract again later on this summer if/when he stays at OU. That is almost inevitable at this point. The interesting part is if he will use this perceived leverage to garner more facilities upgrades or assistant/support staff money, instead of a big contract upgrade for him.

*** As for the OU side of things:

They are fully aware of the rumors. So much so that I am told that they have reached out to some of the reporters stating things about Riley and LSU. You haven't seen a ton of movement from the smoke since the initial tweets/stories earlier today and after Riley said, "It’s nothing to handle. I mean, it’s pretty easy. You know, I coach The University of Oklahoma Football Team. And you guys know me. You know how I feel about this place and this program. So, we’ve all been down this road many times before. You guys know where I stand on that, and that hasn’t changed.”

I spoke to a few sources around Norman that were adamant that Riley wasn't going anywhere. One source cited Riley's promise to a few big-name recruits and players on campus now where he stated he wasn't going anywhere for a while. Sources still have a lot of trust in what Riley has said to those players and recruits, as we reported a few days ago. Another source stated that Riley, "isn't going anywhere. Not with what he has been building and what he has coming in on the recruiting trail. That wouldn't make much sense right now with some of the issues surrounding the LSU football program." They did go on to say that they think it would be hard to walk away from the type of money being tossed around by outlets covering the LSU coaching carousel. Still, they didn't think Riley fit Baton Rouge like he does Norman and Oklahoma. Again, that is just there opinion (I'll give mine a bit further on down).

At the end of the day, I can't say that I am 100% sure Riley won't entertain the LSU job. The Bob Stoops retiring and shocking a lot of folks, including myself, has kept me from completely disregarding anything, as I have stated before. Still, there are a lot of false rumors out there by a lot of people stating behind the scenes issues between Riley and OU or Riley and Alex Grinch. None of that has been true, according to mulitple sources.

A prime example is the fact Riley and Grinch were out traveling and recruiting together not a few weeks ago. Does that tell everything? Absolutely not. But it also shows that there isn't a huge rift like some want to falsely portray.

In conclusion, could I see Riley going to LSU? Not at this juncture. He seems pretty determined to win a title at OU and to be honest, it's hard seeing a personality like Riley at LSU. Coaches there have different vibe to them. They enjoy the media circuit. They enjoy the donor dinners and media luncheons. None of those things are what you see Riley doing a lot of at OU and that's because he fits what OU does culturally. His relationship with President Joe Harroz, AD Joe Castiglione, and the admistration also play a big role in Riley staying.

Obvioulsy, we will continue to monitor this, but as we reported earlier last week, I'm still not hearing anything valid on Riley's interest in LSU on our end.

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