If not Jeffcoat, what about Ruffin McNeill? Or Jim Leavitt?
- Crocker injured his right ankle early in Saturday’s win over Missouri.
There’s a good chance that Bob Stoops will consider Jim Jeffcoat to replace Chris Wilson as Oklahoma’s defensive ends coach.
But what if Jeffcoat prefers to remain the Houston d-line coach?
Here are two more names Stoops may go after.
Ruffin McNeill. Jim Leavitt.
The former is a lot less complicated than the latter.
McNeill, the former Texas Tech d-coordinator and interim coach is looking for work after being fired by new Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville.
McNeill was recently offered a job to work in the administration, but he still wants to coach.
He was a big part of Tech gradually improving defensively since taking over as coordinator midway through the 2007 season.
The Red Raiders were 6th in the Big 12 in scoring and total defense last season. He also led Tech to a victory in the Alamo Bowl amidst loads of controversy following Mike Leach’s dismissal.
McNeill was a LB coach at Tech, but has D-line experience. He was a d-line coach at Fresno State and East Carolina. If Stoops decided to give Jackie Shipp the whole d-line, then McNeill could also probably help coach DBs. He played defensive back at East Carolina.
McNeill and Stoops don’t have any coaching history together, but have a very good mutual friend in Leach.
Another coach to watch is Leavitt. The former South Florida head coach is radioactive, considering he was fired for allegedly slapping a player twice in the face. Leavitt denied the incident took place, but USF accused of Leavitt of lying.
Leavitt actually did a terrific job as USF’s first and previously only coach before his firing. In 13 seasons, only two were losing under Leavitt. In the last four years, USF won 8 or more games.
Leavitt and Stoops go way back to being co-defensive coordinators at Kansas State in the early 1990s under Bill Snyder.
The two remain good friends. So does Leavitt and OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who also coached with Leavitt at K-State. It will be interesting to see if Stoops and Venables pursue their former colleague.
-JT
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