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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYSJuly 21, 2015Bob StoopsDALLAS, TEXAS COACH STOOPS: Excited to be here today to start the 2015 season. I brought some of our excellent players here today with me, Ty Darlington, Sterling Shepard, and Trevor Knight on offense, all exceptional guys. And then Eric Striker as well, our great outside backer, also here with me. Great guys, great representatives of the University of Oklahoma, great workers, great leaders on our team. Again, excited, after last season finishing‑‑ just overall having a disappointing year, when you're used to 12 of the previous 14 years we had ten or more wins, and then you go 8‑5, and it's not up to our standards and our expectations as a program for sure. You can look at it different ways, of course. We look at it also in some of those games we're one play away maybe in a few of those games and having a chance to have a couple more wins if you don't give up one play on defense or you don't have a turnover for a touchdown, you don't miss a field goal, you don't punt the ball one more time if you have a poor decision by a coach. So those kinds of things, we all had a hand in it, one side of the ball or the other, to give ourselves a chance for a few more wins, but that didn't happen. I still believe in the way our players work and the overall program and the way we go about things. We made some changes in the winter leading up to spring ball. We hired Lincoln Riley as our offensive coordinator from East Carolina and Dennis Simmons from Washington State, who also came with us that has worked with Lincoln in the past. So the transition was really pretty seamless. Our players have really taken to the new system. I'm excited about the opportunity maybe to hopefully stay on the field more and move more consistently and be more productive in scoring points. Defensively, we hired a couple of new guys in the secondary, Kerry Cooks and Diron Reynolds on the defensive line. And I like how that has gone through the spring. Mike moving to outside backers has allowed him more opportunity to move around to each position, and I thought through the spring we made really good progress. I feel like on defense we have‑‑ with all the guys that are back, we have a chance to make improvement just from experience with maturity and guys being older, in particular, in the secondary. Some guys I think are pretty special are Steven Parker and Jordan Thomas that were true freshmen a year ago, now, a year older, I see improvement through the spring and summer. Same with the safeties, Ahmad Thomas, Hatari Byrd, of course, Zack Sanchez is a guy who's really special for us. He's an all‑star. And then up front some guys I think are really going to help. You've got Eric Striker and Charles Tapper up front. I think some guys like Charles Walker, D.J. Ward are some guys‑‑ Matt Romar on the D‑line that are going to have a chance to really come on and really make a mark this year as well. The kicking positions are really solid. I really like, even though we have new guys, Nick Hodgson went through the entire spring of 15 practices. I think he missed three field goals the entire spring, and we kicked every day. And has a huge leg, so I'm excited about the opportunity there. And Jack Steed is our punter, really showed good consistency through the spring. So I feel good about those guys. The quarterback battle, I know it's popular for everyone to act like a certain guy has already got the job. That couldn't be further from the truth. Trevor Knight and Baker Mayfield are in a tight battle, and Cody Thomas is right on their heels. He really made significant improvement in the spring. He's a big guy with a great arm. So we really‑‑ that competition is going to continue. Whoever can make the most consistent plays, be the most consistent in moving the ball, and can avoid the really bad play will be the guy that's on the field. I think we had eight turnovers last year that went for touchdowns, and those are hard to overcome. So whoever can protect the ball the best will be that guy leading us, and then we'll just see, as it goes and the competition goes, who earns that job. After that, I'll just open it up for questions. Q. Bob, the past year and a half, year or so, you guys have had some off‑the‑field issues, went through a difficult season, which you detailed, you had some tough losses, and as you detailed again, made some personnel changes. Is the program where you want it right now? And if so, can you kind of give us some details as to what gives you optimism? COACH STOOPS: Well, a lot gives me optimism, a 17‑year background. We're just a year removed from being in the top ten and winning the Sugar Bowl. So that doesn't‑‑ and then prior to that, there's been a lot of success and a great track record of success not only from myself, from our administration, from the way we direct this program. I look around the country. We're probably not the only team that's 8‑5 or 7‑6 and on and on and on. And I look at a track record of 12 of the last 15 years, we've had ten or more wins. Now, I don't think anyone else has done that in the country with that kind of consistency, and that doesn't dissipate in a year. Q. Coach, there's been a lot of programs on the college and pro level that have distanced themselves from men who have committed domestic violence against women. Why haven't you distanced yourself from Joe Mixon? COACH STOOPS: First, let me say there's no place for it. It should never happen. There's not only domestic violence, but there's violence towards women, there's violence in general. None of it should be tolerated, and it has been disciplined. We disciplined in a certain way depending on the circumstances we have, and these guys have had significant penalties. They've had a lot of other internal measures to meet and to stand‑‑ to right up to, and if all those were met, then they had the opportunity to redeem themselves and hopefully grow from their experience. We also feel that, being an educational institution and the age of these young men, they deserve an opportunity to do that, and it's our job to help them. But they also know that we have some very high standards for them to meet, and if they're not met, then they won't be with us any longer. Q. Coach, you have a lot of experience with Bill Snyder. I was wondering if you could tell us what you saw in him working with him years ago that signaled to you that he would continue to have success far into the future and still do it today. COACH STOOPS: I was so fortunate to be a graduate assistant on that Iowa staff, and I don't need to name all the guys that were there that have been head coaches and mentors of mine. My biggest mentor is the D coordinator, Bill Brazier, who wasn't a head coach. But Bill Snyder is a guy I worked really directly as a young coach running the defense against his offense. So I was running the scout team. So I had worked with Coach for four or five years before he got the job at Kansas State, and I was just so lucky that he called me right away to go with him to have a chance to coach the secondary. I think the things that stood out to me at the time were his attention to detail, his great determination, and just how wise he was, how smart. And I think too that I had great confidence in him because we turned the program around at Iowa, and I was there when it did turn around and he was such a part of it, and I got to see it firsthand. Actually, one of the players that helped make that happen. So I learned a lot in that period of time with Coach Snyder at Iowa and then, of course, more as I got to work with him at Kansas State for those first seven years. Q. I just want to go back, Coach, to your decision to bring in Lincoln Riley to run the offense. If my memory serves correctly, Coach, you had Mike Leach. You sort of started this whole trend in the Big 12 way back when. It's almost like you've got to play catch‑up right now. What have you seen just from the coaching techniques, the style of offense? Is it reminiscent of what you remember with Mike Leach? Is it what you've seen trying to defend this each and every week? COACH STOOPS: Yes, you know, it is. My primary reason is I believe in the offense. It's what we started with. As you said, we kind of made it popular when I hired Mike from Kentucky from Hal Mumme, and then it spread. As I was looking to hire somebody, I looked at what are the top total offenses in the country. I looked at what are the top 15 total offenses in the country. And 6 of the top 13 were from this family of‑‑ from Hal Mumme, Mike Leach, however you want to put it, from this family of offense. So I looked back, and I thought, well, here we are. I made it popular 17 years ago, and it worked, and then here 17 years later I'm the only one not doing it. I just felt that it will give us more opportunity, hopefully, again, to stay on the field longer, eat up more yards, gain field position, and score points. But we've yet to do that. Lincoln's had a great track record in running this offense, and I believe we've got good personnel to go with this style of offense. We're very aware of the quality of backs that we have and feel that we'll take advantage of that and that that will mesh really well with what Lincoln wants to do. Q. Bob, can you give us an update on Baker Mayfield's shoulder fatigue and if there's a concern with him having shoulder fatigue in the summer, how that would bear out later in the season. And then also can you compare and contrast the two, Trevor and Baker. COACH STOOPS: Baker's shoulder is healing just fine, just a little bit overworked, and that's where we had to have a talk that no one knows your shoulder but you. You have to monitor how often or how much you're throwing, and he's recovered really well from it. He's back throwing the football now. Of course, we're monitoring how much that is, but he'll be fine once we get into two‑a‑days, not expected to have any limitations. Nor is Cody. Cody got a little bit sore as well. But they'll be fine. The differences with them, they're subtle. They're both really good athletes. Baker may not be straight out as fast as Trevor, but he's elusive. He's good with moving his hips and getting away from trouble. Both have to continue to improve and be sharp at going through their read progressions and where they want to go with the football. But they have a lot of similarities really overall. Baker may have a little more experience, having played in the offense a year longer. But, again, Trevor's picked it up, as Cody has, really pretty well. I'm really excited at their progress in the spring. Q. Coach, just talk about the defense and where you think you are defensive tackle, what you like and where you think maybe you have the most room to grow. COACH STOOPS:  Again, I think where we'll grow the most is in the secondary, just with more experience and a year behind these guys and a year in the weight room and everything that they're doing. I really like what I saw in the spring and then summer. In the defensive tackle spots, again, a guy I said earlier, Charles Walker, is a guy that's a really athletic, strong, 300‑pound guy for us that's got excellent speed and quickness that's really, I think, starting to turn the corner along with Charles Tapper. And then inside, you've got Matt Romar is a guy that I think has really come on as well. So those are just a few of the guys I think can really make a difference. Q. Coach, from that first year with Samaje Perine and the year he had, just how he's matured and the process going into the second year with him and what improvements he's made. Also, if you could talk about the offensive line, you fill in some big holes with three NFL Draft picks. So just talk about that. COACH STOOPS: Samaje, it's hard to improve on where he was, but I believe he will. He's such a great, great worker, very humble guy that's always hungry. He's really trimmed up a bit. He probably lost five pounds, but he's faster and still has the same strength and maybe more strength with another year in the weight room. So I believe he'll just continue to improve. The tackle positions, the guys that really came out of spring that really did a good job that are older guys that have been playing for us for a few years now, Josiah St. John and Derek Forniak are the guys that we're really excited about what they're doing, the way they progressed in the weight room, but also the way they played in the spring. Again, they're guys that have played now for a few years, and it's now time for them to step up and play consistently. Q. Asking another question about Samaje, do you see yourselves with somebody that talented and others running the ball a lot more than other teams and running more than you're used to? COACH STOOPS: It would be hard to run more than we were used to. Samaje is going to get the football. We're very aware of the quality of player that he is, but, again, I think we'll have a good mix. I think you're at your best‑‑ I don't worry that you're ever 50‑50. I just worry that you're productive. If we're productive throwing the football, generally it's going to help you run the ball. If you're good running the football, generally you're going to be able to throw it a little easier. We just want to have a good balance to it. Q. You've had some quarterback battles since you've been at Oklahoma. Does this remind you of any other that you've had? And then, two, you mentioned in your opening statement, a guy, D.J. Ward, who hasn't played a lot of football the last couple of years, missed his senior year in high school and then redshirt. Kind of talk about his progression and what you seem to like about him. COACH STOOPS: The quarterback battle is similar to any other time, when you have‑‑ you don't have a clear‑cut guy that just stands out ahead of everyone. So we'll let it play out. I'm not sure whatever years that would be, but, again, it's nothing new. When you've been in coaching as long as I have, that happens. Again, it just gets down to letting it play out, letting guys continue to compete for it. D.J. Ward is a guy that continues to gain strength in the weight room. He's got great quickness. Again, just a guy that I saw in the spring really make good improvement. So hopefully, that will continue. Q.  Coach, since you've been at Oklahoma, you've had a lot of luck getting guys into the NFL Draft. But what obligation, if any, do college coaches have to get their guys ready to go into the league? COACH STOOPS: I'm not sure. Keep going with your question. What obligation do we have? Q. As far as getting guys ready for the NFL, which is obviously a big recruiting boost for a lot of schools, do you feel like it's your job to get them ready to go to the National Football League? Or is it just to win college football games? COACH STOOPS: I think it's our job if we're winning games and the better players you have and developing them the better team you're going to have, that's where it begins. By doing that, you are getting them prepared to play in the league. Someone showed me, I think in the last five years, we're like fourth or fifth in the country in number of draft picks. So I guess we're developing them in a positive way, but it also‑‑ so, again, I think, if you're developing them to be an NFL Draft pick, you're also developing them to be a player that's going to play at a winning level for you and your team. So I think that comes first, but when you're doing your job the right way, it leads to being able to be a draft pick as well. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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