https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2021/01/another-alabama-staffer-set-to-join-steve-sarkisian-at-texas.html
Coming out of Thursday, Mike Stoops was all set to join Steve Sarkisian’s staff at Texas.
That’s not the case anymore, though.
So what changed? Here’s the backstory on the Stoops-Texas situation based on information gathered from AL.comsources.
Stoops, who worked at Alabama with Sarkisian the last two seasons, was going to be hired as Sarkisian’s linebackers coach. It was an interesting development, especially considering the Stoops family ties to Texas’ top rival, Oklahoma, where Stoops’ brother Bob was the head coach from 1999 to 2016 and where Stoops himself worked from 1999 to 2003 and then again as the Sooners’ defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2018. It was enough of a done deal that Stoops was going to Texas that he informed Alabama and head coach Nick Saban of his plans on Thursday, said his goodbyes to people around the Crimson Tide program, left his job as a Tide analyst and was expected to fly to Texas on Friday to begin the process of finding a new place to live along with wife.
Then came Friday morning and a call from Sarkisian that changed those plans.
Sarkisian shared during that call that he could no longer make the hire. Multiple sources referenced that backlash regarding the potential of hiring Stoops may have played a role in eliminating the possibility.
So what now?
Texas will hire a different linebackers coach. Meanwhile, it sounds like Stoops, who turned down multiple FBS defensive coordinator opportunities this offseason, will return to his job as an analyst at Alabama.