Florida Football: 5 candidates to replace Jim McElwain as head coach

Another name with ties to the Gators is former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops. He surprisingly stepped down as the coach of the Sooners this offseason and has made every indication that he is retired for good from the sidelines. But we have seen the lure of college football pull back coaches in the past, and Stoops might not be immune to that pull if the Gators come calling.

He doesn’t match the profile of looking for an offensive coach, but Stoops still has the pedigree that Florida might look for after hitting and missing on unproven commodities like McElwain and Muschamp. Stoops served for three years as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach under Steve Spurrier before landing his gig in Norman.

In his only stop as a head coach, Stoops proved more than capable of resurrecting a powerhouse that had fallen on hard times. Under Stoops, Oklahoma won 10 Big 12 titles in 18 seasons and played for four national championships. That he only won one of those four opportunities is often used as a knock against Stoops, but no head coach enjoyed more consistent success at the top of the national ranks during the BCS era.

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Whether he can be lured out of retirement is another question, especially given the rebuilding project that needs to take place in Gainesville. But Florida would be wise to at least take a chance on the former defensive guru that helped lead them to the school’s first national title back in 1996.