Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley downplayed speculation Tuesday about whether he has interest in LSU‘s coaching position, saying his feelings about the Sooners job haven’t changed.
Riley is 54-9 at Oklahoma, which promoted him to replace longtime coach Bob Stoops after the 2016 season. His name has been connected to NFL coaching vacancies, and he had been mentioned as a potential candidate to succeed LSU’s Ed Orgeron, who is out after the season.
Asked if he or his representatives had been in touch with LSU, Riley said, “I coach at the University of Oklahoma. You know how I feel about this place and this program. We’ve all been down this road many times before. You guys know where I stand and that hasn’t changed.”
Riley, 38, in 2020 agreed to a six-year, $45.2 million contract with Oklahoma. He has led the Sooners to Big 12 titles in each of his first four seasons, and playoff appearances in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Oklahoma is 9-1 following Saturday’s loss to Baylor.
Riley has never coached in the SEC; he started his coaching career at Texas Tech, his alma mater, and then went to East Carolina before joining Oklahoma’s staff as offensive coordinator in 2015.
Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, a former LSU assistant, on Monday reiterated that he intends to remain with the Aggies in 2022.
