Interesting question

[kingcrimson63]

Not gonna lie, I stole this from another board but, it is a very interesting question that gathers all kinds of thoughts from fans, especially upon the way 2021 went for us.

Here we go---When did you think Riley knew he was going to USC.

I think based on the way we played early, I think it was the week of the Tulane game. I really do, I think his head was never in 2021.

 

[Rob Lewis_rivals]

My guess is last summer when there was speculation about Riley being targeted by NFL teams, which may have spawned the likes of USC, LSU and other college teams.
From the first game on, the 2021 Sooners played flat, undisciplined football which ended with two losses to the only decent teams they faced in Baylor and OSU. The team never got better, which to me is a sign of poor (and distracted) coaching....and of course the same old non-championship caliber defense continued, as it has for several years now.
When AD Joe Castigione's time ends at OU, his genius of hiring coaches and especially his amazing quick response to Riley's sudden exit and all the crap that surrounded it, should be long remembered. I think he is "statue worthy" as I do Prentice Gautt and Bob Kalsu.

 

[csregor]

I was completely blindsided by Riley's departure. Shocked. After the fact I think I could see small signs of Riley having made a decision much earlier than originally suspected. I made an inordinate number of games this year. I was invited to Joe C's VP box for the Iowa State game and had the opportunity to chat with him. I stated that the season was coming to an end and that OU had not played a game whereby I thought they were hitting on all cylinders. I felt the team had a lack of confidence shown in previous years. His response "I hear that a lot this year". To answer your question...Riley made the decision to leave early in the season if not prior to kicking off the season.

Side Note: I had the good opportunity to meet a few friends at the Iowa State game (Medic again, JCon, 67, Iasooner and loopified).

 

[Raysor]

I think his agent was in contact with USC less than a week after OU and Texas announced the SEC departure. Since Lincoln likely knew it was coming for a while, maybe before that. He was personally recruiting all the Cali studs, and I think he knew all along that he was going to go. And they did too. Two things confirmed it for him. One was NIL. USC presented him with their plan to maximize their Hollywood, NIL possibilities,

And the confirmation was that he really disliked how OU and UT left the other 8 conference members out of the loop in the discussions that produced the announcements. I think he was really miffed that his alma mater was looked at as insignificant, in terms of their future and how this all affected that. Before our season started, LR knew he was leaving because he wanted no part of the SEC. And he basically mailed in the season. I think one assistant knew all along. Dennis Simmons is a good guy. But when you saw him interviewed in places like the assistant coaches show, there was an uneasiness in his eyes. It was different than previous seasons. He did a good job keeping the secret for his longtime buddy.

I never thought Lincoln was going to LSU. Wrong fit. But it's almost as bad a fit for his family at USC. His family are small town people. Los Angeles is going to be the worst culture change imaginable.

 

[BUDDY G_rivals25215]

I think the wheels were turning early if not before the season. When Helton was canned I think it's a safe bet that USC was confident they had their man.

Xs and Os are important and Riley is good at that, but football is so much more. Everything else he lacked. He routinely failed to prepare his team mentally. Overconfident against inferior competition or timid against our equals. No edge. No heart. No fight. And rarely were adjustments made when the other team figured out our plan after the 1st quarter.

There is no stain on the Sooners as far as I'm concerned. We upgraded and the remainder of the college football world will feel the same after this season.

 

[atxhornfan]

I was completely blindsided by Riley's departure. Shocked. After the fact I think I could see small signs of Riley having made a decision much earlier than originally suspected. I made an inordinate number of games this year. I was invited to Joe C's VP box for the Iowa State game and had the opportunity to chat with him. I stated that the season was coming to an end and that OU had not played a game whereby I thought they were hitting on all cylinders. I felt the team had a lack of confidence shown in previous years. His response "I hear that a lot this year". To answer your question...Riley made the decision to leave early in the season if not prior to kicking off the season.

Side Note: I had the good opportunity to meet a few friends at the Iowa State game (Medic again, JCon, 67, Iasooner and loopified).

Scottsdale, thank you for the opportunity to meet you and Iowa, jcon and 67, and I got to meet medic also. We all had a great time that day and made some great memories with some great people. Thanks to all that were involved with making it happen! As far as tbow is concerned, not sure when he planned his exit but he didn't waste any time leaving! Dick move!

 

[OUnabomber]

I think his agent was in contact with USC less than a week after OU and Texas announced the SEC departure. Since Lincoln likely knew it was coming for a while, maybe before that. He was personally recruiting all the Cali studs, and I think he knew all along that he was going to go. And they did too. Two things confirmed it for him. One was NIL. USC presented him with their plan to maximize their Hollywood, NIL possibilities,

And the confirmation was that he really disliked how OU and UT left the other 8 conference members out of the loop in the discussions that produced the announcements. I think he was really miffed that his alma mater was looked at as insignificant, in terms of their future and how this all affected that. Before our season started, LR knew he was leaving because he wanted no part of the SEC. And he basically mailed in the season. I think one assistant knew all along. Dennis Simmons is a good guy. But when you saw him interviewed in places like the assistant coaches show, there was an uneasiness in his eyes. It was different than previous seasons. He did a good job keeping the secret for his longtime buddy.

I never thought Lincoln was going to LSU. Wrong fit. But it's almost as bad a fit for his family at USC. His family are small town people. Los Angeles is going to be the worst culture change imaginable.

I think Riley sees the SC job as a stepping stone to where he wants to eventually be....the NFL.

 

[L. Ron Mexico]

Not sure when Riley knew he was leaving but imo it's reasonable to assume that when USC fired Helton they had probably reached some sort of an agreement at least in principal with Riley. No doubt they wanted Riley to have his players come to USC so they wanted to give him plenty of time to be recruiting for Riley and not for OU.

 

[OUSOONER67]

I think hindsight is 20/20. Probably nobody thought he would ever leave unless it was to the NFL but we sure were wrong about that. All season long if you look back it just had an odd feel to it, never getting better as the Season Progressed, looking unprepared during games, Rattlers regression, a lot of things felt off.
At one point I really did believe he may take the LSU job but backed off that as it really didn't make sense as OU will be in the SEC pretty soon. U$C makes way more sense but was still a head scratcher at the time, not so much now as I feel he wants to rebuild them, get his stock back up and then go to the NFL. I think the blowout losses in the Playoffs hurt his stock quite a bit and the NFL wasn't calling anymore, he certainly has a better chance at improving that stock in the PAC than he does in the SEC.

At the end of the day every one of us should thank him. We are in good hands and hopefully will be stronger than ever. Nobody will likely remember but I wasn't happy when they promoted him to take Bobs place. I warmed up to him after a while but the Playoff whippings soured me on him of ever being able to get over the hump. I don't think he has it in him.
I also don't believe when Bob says they are still friends.

And yes we had a great time at the Iowa State game last Nov. with Iowasooner, medic, loopafied, jcon and Scottsdale. Couldn't have asked for a better group to be at a game with, loved every minute of it, thanks Scottsdale and guys!

Rejoice Sooners, TBOW is GONE!

 

[BUDDY G_rivals25215]

I was completely blindsided by Riley's departure. Shocked. After the fact I think I could see small signs of Riley having made a decision much earlier than originally suspected. I made an inordinate number of games this year. I was invited to Joe C's VP box for the Iowa State game and had the opportunity to chat with him. I stated that the season was coming to an end and that OU had not played a game whereby I thought they were hitting on all cylinders. I felt the team had a lack of confidence shown in previous years. His response "I hear that a lot this year". To answer your question...Riley made the decision to leave early in the season if not prior to kicking off the season.

Side Note: I had the good opportunity to meet a few friends at the Iowa State game (Medic again, JCon, 67, Iasooner and loopified).

I'm not gonna lie I'm a bit jealous on no invite. I know Medic is a certified boss, you and Jcon are 2 of my favorites here, iasooner is the glue that holds this board together and loop and 67 are later additions that have been a positive to the board.

 

[newnasty]

What an excellent question to pose to the super fans of the Sooners. But first, it's nice to hear of the bonding of posters at a game. That kind of fan fellowship is really great stuff. Fan envy!

W/ regards to the question, I think TBOW was bothered or upset as he was caught off guard by the leak of OU & TX headed to the SEC. It's my belief that he felt he should have been involved in that decision process . As a result, a lack of trust developed between he and Joe C. so he decided to have his agent start looking around. I don't think he knew he was going to USC per se' but at that time but he knew his heart was no longer there and his days at OU were numbered. I think the firing of Helton two weeks in was a signal to him from USC they were serious.

What I find amazing is how USC went under the radar for a coaching search for close to the entire season less the first two games. There was little to no coverage of their coaching search. It was quiet as a mouse. Which tells me that heavy negotiations were taking place all season. There is no doubt TBOW checked out early on and he was never focused all season.

All of this reminds me of the scene from the Wizard of Oz. Where Toto pulls back the curtains on what Dorothy and her fellow travelers thought was the great OZ. As Sooner fans, we can see behind the curtain now and TBOW was not the great OZ. I was guilty as the next guy. But looking past the shine and beyond the wow factor that he presents, and then deeply into the numbers, the OU football program dropped off on an annual basis. And while this is not what the rest of the football thinks, I believe they will eventually.

 

[csregor]

I'm not gonna lie I'm a bit jealous on no invite. I know Medic is a certified boss, you and Jcon are 2 of my favorites here, iasooner is the glue that holds this board together and loop and 67 are later additions that have been a positive to the board.

BC, you are on the list for this year. I will pick a game for us to attend. There are a couple of others that I want to meet. I will give plenty of notice to make arrangements.

 

[atxhornfan]

BC, you are on the list for this year. I will pick a game for us to attend. There are a couple of others that I want to meet. I will give plenty of notice to make arrangements.

BC, your going to have a great game day experience! Everyone needs a day like that

 

[BUDDY G_rivals25215]

BC, you are on the list for this year. I will pick a game for us to attend. There are a couple of others that I want to meet. I will give plenty of notice to make arrangements.

An offer I cannot refuse. I am long overdue to attend a game. I'm ashamed to say it's been since 2008 versus Nebraska. Life always seems to have an opinion on my affairs. I do believe me and the ol ball and chain are going to make spring game as I cannot wait to see what the defense will look like.

 

[Rob Lewis_rivals]

Whenever Riley decided to leave OU was never a real concern for me as the style of play Riley's teams had was not SEC or championship caliber.
I can honestly say that I breathed a huge sigh of relief when Riley left.
I was confident Joe Castigione would quickly restore order and get a topnotch coach....and he exceeded my expectations in hiring Venables.
And through it all, Lincoln Riley's success and future should be meaningless to us now.

 

[OUSOONER67]

I'm not gonna lie I'm a bit jealous on no invite. I know Medic is a certified boss, you and Jcon are 2 of my favorites here, iasooner is the glue that holds this board together and loop and 67 are later additions that have been a positive to the board.

Late addition? I have been here since 2004 lol.
I did however take a break for a yr or 2 not long ago. No worries.

 

[joebidensmask]

Glue ? (More like goo; or maybe duct tape). Thanks for that honor bc, once and again I get lucky I suppose

 

[maize_N_brew]

Glue ? (More like goo; or maybe duct tape). Thanks for that honor bc, once and again I get lucky I suppose

bailing wire...or maybe barbed wire....hummm

 

[L. Ron Mexico]

Whenever Riley decided to leave OU was never a real concern for me as the style of play Riley's teams had was not SEC or championship caliber.
I can honestly say that I breathed a huge sigh of relieve when Riley left.
I was confident Joe Castigione would quickly restore order and get a topnotch coach....and he exceeded my expectations in hiring Venables.
And through it all, Lincoln Riley's success and future should be meaningless to us now.

I can concur with your thoughts. I, like many others were so disappointed just in the way the team played so flat to start the year after we were all kind of led to believe that 2021 was THE YEAR. And why shouldn't it be, it was Riley's 5th year but what a crapper it was. I know 10 wins and all that but it felt like a 7-5 season to me. Very disappointing. Alot of my frustration and the realization that we had peaked under Riley was underscored even more so when once again Riley etal acted like we were reinventing the wheel on defense for the 5th year in a row. It should not have been that way in his 5th year. Good Lord the secondary rotation/musical chairs was embarrassing. I get why he went to USC but imo he should have made a clean break and done a better job of not poaching players, recruits etc.

I've heard people say OU is getting what they deserve and the fans had no problem when OU brought in Mayfield, Murray, Hurts etc as transfers but they fail to comprehend that none of those guys were the starter of their respective team. They had all been relegated to backup status, big difference and not considered huge losses to their team.

 

[BUDDY G_rivals25215]

Late addition? I have been here since 2004 lol.
I did however take a break for a yr or 2 not long ago. No worries.

Guess it just seems like you haven't been active much in my time here, but you have been lately and I like your insight.

 

[Rob Lewis_rivals]

I can concur with your thoughts. I, like many others were so disappointed just in the way the team played so flat to start the year after we were all kind of led to believe that 2021 was THE YEAR. And why shouldn't it be, it was Riley's 5th year but what a crapper it was. I know 10 wins and all that but it felt like a 7-5 season to me. Very disappointing. Alot of my frustration and the realization that we had peaked under Riley was underscored even more so when once again Riley etal acted like we were reinventing the wheel on defense for the 5th year in a row. It should not have been that way in his 5th year. Good Lord the secondary rotation/musical chairs was embarrassing. I get why he went to USC but imo he should have made a clean break and done a better job of not poaching players, recruits etc.

I've heard people say OU is getting what they deserve and the fans had no problem when OU brought in Mayfield, Murray, Hurts etc as transfers but they fail to comprehend that none of those guys were the starter of their respective team. They had all been relegated to backup status, big difference and not considered huge losses to their team.

Belldozer, great post.
First, I'm think it is nonsense to say OU "is getting what it deserves" by bringing in transfer QBs that became great ones at OU. Like you stated, none of the three were starters and were not considered huge losses. This kind of BS seems like UT stuff......and we know how well Texas recruits in-state quarterbacks.
Before the 2021 season, I was not in agreement with the (usual) preseason hype about OU. The team had lost 4 of its best defenders, including DE Perkins who immediately improved the defense and then RB Rhamondre Stepenson who did the same for the offense. Both arrived back from suspension at midseason. Plus, there were losses on the offensive line (Humphrey, Ealy), Stogner's injury which he has yet to fully recover from, Calcatera's transfer, dismissals of Henderson and McGowan and even Tre Norwood who could make big plays in the secondary.
I saw the worst ten-win team ever with no improvement from game one: no quality wins and losses to the only teams of equal or better talent. And the win over a decimated Oregon team was no big deal.
All that aside, I predict a 2022 OU team that will play inspired football.....and IMPROVE as the season progresses......a Jekyl and Hyde transformation.....even with a bump or two along the way.

 

[L. Ron Mexico]

Belldozer, great post.
First, I'm think it is nonsense to say OU "is getting what it deserves" by bringing in transfer QBs that became great ones at OU. Like you stated, none of the three were starters and were not considered huge losses. This kind of BS seems like UT stuff......and we know how well Texas recruits in-state quarterbacks.
Before the 2021 season, I was not in agreement with the (usual) preseason hype about OU. The team had lost 4 of its best defenders, including DE Perkins who immediately improved the defense and then RB Rhamondre Stepenson who did the same for the offense. Both arrived back from suspension at midseason. Plus, there were losses on the offensive line (Humphrey, Ealy), Stogner's injury which he has yet to fully recover from, Calcatera's transfer, dismissals of Henderson and McGowan and even Tre Norwood who could make big plays in the secondary.
I saw the worst ten-win team ever with no improvement from game one: no quality wins and losses to the only teams of equal or better talent. And the win over a decimated Oregon team was no big deal.
All that aside, I predict a 2022 OU team that will play inspired football.....and IMPROVE as the season progresses......a Jekyl and Hyde transformation.....even with a bump or two along the way.

Maybe the biggest telltale sign for me that either Riley had given up or didn’t care, both may be the case now in hindsight, was Riley’s dang near absolute reluctance to go with tempo on offense in a consistent basis. That imo is really the main staple of his offense when we were clicking with Mayfield and Murray. I don’t know why he got away from it but we moved the ball much better in a hurry up mode.

I know Riley has made the excuse of “well you can’t move the ball and score too fast when your defense has been on the field for long drives” lol well, that’s a whole other discussion.

Venables team hasn’t even taken a snap but I like his methodical approach to everything he’s done so far. I see no reason to think Venables won’t do a fine job and I’m really looking forward to our D not having to be on the field for those really long slow death drives.