Bob Stoops is the Favorite to be Next Florida Coach
Odds were released Monday morning for the next Florida head coach and former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops is the betting favorite at +400. This comes as a bit of a surprise, given that Stoops turned down the job back in 2018 before Dan Mullen was hired. Here is a complete list of odds for the job, from SportsLine:
| Bob Stoops | +400 |
| Lane Kiffin | +500 |
| Billy Napier | +600 |
| Bill O’Brien | +700 |
| Matt Campbell | +800 |
| James Franklin | +900 |
| Mario Cristobal | +1000 |
| Mark Stoops | +1200 |
| Dave Clawson | +1300 |
| Luke Fickell | +1500 |
| Todd Monken | +1800 |
| Dan Quinn | +2000 |
Stoops would be one of the largest hires in College Football over the past decade if Steve Spurrier and Florida can lure Bob out of retirement, but it seems like a longshot. He is the winningest coach in Oklahoma history with a 190-48 record (.798 winning percentage) and is the only coach in the BCS era to win a Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Sugar Bowl.
My question would be what does he have left to prove by coming back? Stoops has done everything there is to do as a coach. Plus, he’s has been away from the game for four years now, outside of a stint in the lucrative XFL, and seems to be happy being on the set of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff. Bob holds Florida near and dear to his heart as the place where he met lifelong friend Steve Spurrier, and that is probably why he is listed as the favorite to land the job. Who knows, maybe he does take it. Crazier things have happened, but I’m not holding my breath.
If I had to bet on who would replace Mullen, my money would be on Louisiana coach Billy Napier. He has experience in the SEC, coaching wide receivers at Alabama from 2013-16 and was also an analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2011. He currently has the Ragin’ Cajuns at 10-1, and is 31-5 since the beginning of 2019.
