Bob Stoops' Presence Adds Something Special to Oklahoma's Alamo Bowl Trip

Sooner players have responded well to having a coaching icon lead them into their final contest of 2021.

Oklahoma’s path to the Alamo Bowl was unorthodox, but the players could still have a dream ending to the season.

College Football Hall of Fame coach Bob Stoops has stepped away from the golf course and his budding tequila empire for a few weeks, filling the void at the top of the OU program left by Lincoln Riley.

And while the circumstances leading Stoops to try and notch his 191st career win are far from ideal, the players still on campus are looking forward to one last contest in 2021 under their interim coach.

Running back Kennedy Brooks actually committed to Oklahoma when Stoops was still at the helm, but the coaching icon retired before Brooks could take the field with him.

Brooks already stated how important it was for him to finish the season on a high note, but added the Stoops factor just makes the trip to San Antonio that much more special.

“Playing with Bob, a legendary coach, I think will be fun,” Brooks said. “It's something I always wanted to do. It's one of the reasons why I came here, so having that chance to fulfill that dream for me will be fun."

Even the younger players who weren’t recruited by Stoops have responded to his leadership.

Wide receiver Marvin Mims has had a slightly different perspective, as he’s now playing for the father of Drake Stoops, someone he spends every day with in the wide receivers room.

“To me it’s cool hearing what (Bob Stoops has) come from, the things he’s done,” Mims said. “Being a receiver with Drake, hanging out with Drake all the time, knowing him personally and then getting to be coached by his dad, it’s a very cool experience, unique experience."

Defensive end Reggie Grimes’ recruitment also came after Stoops had taken a step back from the program, but Grimes is still fired up to take the field with Stoops on the sidelines.

“That guy is a legend. He has a statue out front,” Grimes said. “I personally was never coached by him. But we have Isaac (Stoops) here. We have Drake here. You see him on TV. You see him on 'Big Noon Kickoff.'

“To have him as a head coach, you hear about the legend of Bob Stoops. As far as that’s concerned, he’s a great guy. He’s another guy who I would run through a wall for. Whatever was asked of me from him, I would be more than happy to accept and do it because everything that’s been said about him is true. He is who he says he is.”

Stoops has already endeared himself to the fanbase for stepping in and steadying the ship over the past few weeks, and the players have felt his claiming force as well.

Even if the Sooners are unable to give Stoops one last victory in San Antonio, his message to the team that the program is bigger than one person resonated with the players while the coaching search pressed on.

Now, the team is in the right head space to go out and compete one last time in 2021.

“It was really important coming from him, honestly,” Brooks said. “Just the belief that everybody has in him and him always sticking around and being for OU, it really just lifted everybody's spirits.”

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