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If Riley were to move either Gundy or Bedenbaugh to offensive coordinator, he may also add a quarterbacks coach. A name to keep an eye on would be Graham Harrell, who Riley coached at Texas Tech, and is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks' coach at North Texas. read more: http://www.oudaily.com/sports/oklahoma-football-lincoln-riley-looking-to-potentially-add-help/article_05b7af9e-4d14-11e7-b6bd-ff2659c2bea4.html

North Texas athletic director Rick Villarreal interviewed Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley this week for the Mean Green’s open head football coaching vacancy, according to a university official. It’s unclear whether Riley was the first candidate to be interviewed, but he was the most recent from a list of candidates that is believed to include Arizona State offensive line coach Chris Thomsen, the former head coach at Abilene Christian, and Texas A&M offensive coordinator Steve Spavital. Villarreal is also expected to inquire about the interest of TCU co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham or Sonny Cumbie. The 32-year-old Riley is in his first season with Oklahoma after spending five seasons as East Carolina’s offensive coordinator. Before that, Riley was an offensive assistant at Texas Tech. He is considered one of college football’s bright, young offensive minds. In Riley’s up-tempo spread scheme, the Sooners are averaging more than 530 yards a game and 45 points, including 60 the past three games. read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/football/article43462332.html Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/football/article43462332.html#storylink=cpy

Riley’s career as a coach started out rather interesting. As a walk-on freshman quarterback at Texas Tech, Leach called Riley into his office and basically told him he though Riley lacked the talent to be a quarterback at the college level, but believed his knowledge and willingness to study the game would make him a great coach. Leach quickly convinced the young quarterback to move into a student assistant coaching position after that freshman season. By the time Riley was 23 years old, he was being paid as receivers coach for Leach. After Leach was fired, Riley took over play calling duties for the 2010 Alamo Bowl against Michigan State. The Pirates would beat the Spartans 41-31 and Riley’s offense racked up 571 yards of total offense in his first game as a play caller. Perhaps one of the biggest complaints Oklahoma fans had with the offense under Heupel, was the inability to convert on third down. The Sooners were 61st in the country in third down conversion percentage at 40.45%. They were actually worse in 2013 at 39.49%. Meanwhile, East Carolina was one of the best in the country on third down with Riley calling plays. The Pirates were 11th in the country in third down conversion percentage at 47.85% in 2014. ECU was even better in 2013 when Riley had a strong running back in Cooper as a weapon. In 2014, Riley’s offense converted third downs at a rate of 49.16%. If you’re a quarterback or receiver at Oklahoma or considering going to Oklahoma, you have to like the addition of Riley. If you’re a fan of the Sooners, you too should like the addition of Riley and if you are a bit skeptical because of your love of the running game, I would urge you not to buy into the “Leach disciple” label being tagged on Riley. When it’s all said and done, I’d expect the Sooners to definitely have a passing offense, but a more balanced offense than you might expect. read more: http://stormininnorman.com/2015/01/12/oklahoma-football-lincoln-riley-guy/

NORMAN — Following the most disappointing of all his 16 seasons as Oklahoma's head coach, Bob Stoops sensed a great disturbance in the Force. Stoops knew drastic change was needed, especially after a humiliating Russell Athletic Bowl defeat in which the OU offense committed five turnovers and managed just 275 yards and six points. So he sat down to research the most productive offenses in college football and quickly realized that he'd lost his way. While Stoops had been toiling in a mostly unsuccessful experiment with an unfamiliar offense, the system that kickstarted his remarkable run at OU — and helped him win his only national title — had produced seven of the top 13 total offenses in the country in 2014. “It just happens gradually, for whatever reason,” Stoops said. “We gravitated in a little bit of a different direction.” Stoops hired 31-year-old whiz Lincoln Riley to re-install the Air Raid offense, a system famous for shocking life into downtrodden programs. Stoops hopes Riley can do for Oklahoma what Mike Leach — Riley's mentor — did for the Sooners in 1999. It's up to Riley to restore balance to the Force. read more: http://newsok.com/article/5444613

Athlon Sports article on the top ten coordinators on the rise. Several names with Texas ties, which I think is a must for this next hire. 2. Doug Meacham, Co-Offensive Coordinator, TCU Meacham’s arrival in 2014 was a big reason why TCU emerged as a playoff contender last season and is in the mix once again in 2015. The Horned Frogs averaged only 25.1 points a game in 2013 but jumped to 46.5 last season and 51 per contest in 2015. Prior to joining Gary Patterson’s staff at TCU, Meacham called the plays at Houston in 2013 and worked as an assistant for Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State from 2005-12. 3. Mike Norvell, Offensive Coordinator, Arizona State Norvell has experienced a fast rise through the assistant ranks. After working for one season as a graduate assistant at Central Arkansas in 2006, Norvell was hired by Todd Graham at Tulsa in 2007 and worked with the Golden Hurricane until 2010. The Texas native followed Graham to Pittsburgh in 2011 and to Arizona State in 2012. Norvell has called the plays since coming to Tempe, and the Sun Devils never finished lower than third in scoring offense within the Pac-12 from 2012-14. 4. Lincoln Riley, Offensive Coordinator, Oklahoma Riley is a Mike Leach and Air Raid disciple, and despite the sluggish showing against Texas in Week 6, the first-year coordinator is off to a fast start at Oklahoma. The Sooners are averaging 37 points per game and 6.4 yards per play in 2015. The Texas native worked at Texas Tech under Leach from 2007-09 and was hired by Ruffin McNeill at East Carolina prior to the 2010 season. The Pirates had a prolific offense under Riley, including a No. 2 rank in the American Athletic Conference in 2014 by averaging 35.8 points per game. Riley is just 32 years old and is stock will only increase over the next few seasons. 5. Kendal Briles, Offensive Coordinator, Baylor After Philip Montgomery left Baylor to be the head coach at Tulsa, Briles was handed the keys to a high-powered Ferrari. While his father – Art Briles – is instrumental in the Bears’ offense, this unit is thriving under Kendal’s direction. Through five games, Baylor is averaging 64.2 points a game and ranks first nationally by averaging 9.1 yards per play. The Texas native has worked as an assistant with the Bears since 2008 and is regarded as one of the Big 12’s top recruiters. - See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-footballs-top-10-coordinators-rise-2015#sthash.ZuAVjvbq.dpuf