The job search as Philadelphia Eagles head coach is underway, and one of the first potential candidates to reach the Birds was Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley, according to a report by Sports Illustrated’s Ed Kracz.
It’s not the first time the Eagles have talked to Riley about his potential interest in the Eagles. In fact, he and general manager Howie Roseman have a good relationship and it was a consultation with Riley that helped the Eagles draft both Jalen Reagor and Jalen Hurts, according to sources.
Oh, he had a hand in the Eagles’ bad 2020 draft? It already fits great!
Equally jokingly, Riley is arguably the college grades’ best coach candidate, as he has a record of 45-8 in Oklahoma, while developing a pair of No. 1 overall quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Riley also coached Jalen Hurts for a year, and Hurts finished second in the Heisman voting that season.
A look at the numbers quarterbacks have collected in Riley’s extremely quarterback-friendly offense:
| Oklahoma QBs | Comp-Att (Comp%) | Yards (YPA) | TD-INT |
| Baker Mayfield (2017) | 285-404 (70.5%) | 4627 (11.5) | 43-6 |
| Kyler Murray (2018) | 260-377 (69.0%) | 4361 (11.6) | 42-7 |
| Jalen Hurts (2019) | 237-340 (69.7%) | 3,851 (11.3) | 32-8 |
| Spencer Rattler (2020) | 214-317 (67.5%) | 3,031 (9.6) | 28-7 |
The Sooners made it to the College Football Playoff in each of Riley’s first three seasons, losing all three first-round games. In 2020, they failed to make the cut after finishing with a 9-2 record and instead played in the Cotton Bowl. In the four bowl games he coached, Riley’s fouls averaged 41.3 points per game.
| Lincoln Riley | Last record | Bowl game |
| 2017 | 12-2 | Rose Bowl – 54-48 loss to Georgia |
| 2018 | 12-2 | Orange Bowl – 45-34 loss to Alabama |
| 2019 | 12-2 | Rose Bowl – 63-28 loss to LSU |
| 2020 | 9-2 | Cotton Bowl – 55-20 win over Florida |
Riley is seen as an innovative attacking ghost whose plans have been stolen by many NFL offenses. You can get a taste of what Oklahoma is doing here, in the run game:
And in the passing game:
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The Eagles’ open head coaching job should not be attractive to top candidates. The quarterback spot is troubled, the roster is otherwise poor (and has little chance of getting better anytime soon due to a terrible cap situation), and there will be legitimate concerns about a history of head coaches having friction with teambrassing.
However, if Riley is comfortable with Hurts, and he has a good relationship with Roseman, as reported, he may not see the warts we do. The bet here is that it would probably still take a huge sum of money to get him out of Oklahoma.
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