O’Gara: 5 candidates (and a wild card) for the Oklahoma offensive coordinator vacancy

For my money, it should be one of the most coveted assistant openings in college football.

The job of “Oklahoma offensive coordinator” should have a slew of enticing candidates following the midseason firing of Seth Littrell, who got half a season at his alma mater.

You could point to that, as well as the incredibly high standard of the Oklahoma offense, and say that it’s got too high of a bar to meet. Nah. Look at these Oklahoma offensive ranks and tell me that Littrell’s successor has “too high of a bar to meet.”

• 22.1 points/game (No. 107 in FBS)
• 13.5 points/conference game (No. 126 in FBS)
• 27.2% 3rd-down conversion percentage (No. 128 in FBS)
• 5.8 yards/pass (No. 128 in FBS)
• 4.3 yards/play (No. 132 in FBS)
• 16 scrimmage plays of 20 yards (No. 133 in FBS)

I also failed to include that there were 2 mid-game quarterback benchings in those 4 SEC games. Yes, it doesn’t help that Oklahoma lost its top 5 receivers to multi-game injuries. But still. The bar couldn’t be lower. This has nothing to do with what Lincoln Riley did in Norman and everything to do with how bottom-of-the-barrel this current 2024 Oklahoma offense has been.

So yes, it’s an elite assistant opening. You have the resources to sign top-10 classes annually at the high school level and in the portal, you have an unbelievably rich recent history of quarterbacks and you have a defensive-minded head coach who’ll give full autonomy to an OC (more on that in a second).

Who should be targeted for the vacancy? These 5 coaches:

Kirby Moore, Mizzou OC

At the end of Mizzou’s historic 2023 season, Moore signed a 2-year extension worth a total of $2.5 million ($1.2 million in 2024 and $1.3 million in 2025). That’s relevant context because Mizzou already ponied up once to keep him on board after he injected life into the offense as Eli Drinkwitz’s first offensive play-caller.

While this season hasn’t necessarily been 2008 Chase Daniel-levels of prolific in Columbia, Moore is still held in high regard as an early-30s offensive mind after he took Brady Cook’s game to previously unthinkable heights and he unlocked the 5-star potential of Luther Burden III. Moore did that for a Mizzou team that looked like it was fighting an uphill battle in the SEC before he arrived. That’s what Oklahoma’s offense now looks like.

Why would he leave Mizzou, you ask? He’d likely get a raise closer to the $2 million/year club. That helps. So does getting full autonomy. It’s not that Drinkwitz doesn’t empower him, but that matters in the assistant world. Plus, that Mizzou offense figures to have a ton of turnover in 2025 if Cook, Burden and Theo Wease all leave. Moore could have the ability to hand-pick his next quarterback — either Michael Hawkins Jr./Jackson Arnold or a portal QB — and lead a unit that’s got nowhere to go but up.

He’d be as ideal of a hire as there is.

Mike Shanahan, Indiana OC

For all the deserved praise for the job that Curt Cignetti did overhauling the dormant Indiana program, Shanahan could be in line for the Broyles Award in 2024, especially if IU can navigate the Kurtis Rourke injury and reach the 12-team Playoff. Don’t rule out the idea of Shanahan guiding Tayven Jackson and the Hoosiers as long as Rourke is out, especially after the former stepped in and kept the offense humming in the second half against a respected Nebraska defense. But even if that doesn’t happen, Cignetti’s right-hand man would be an excellent fit in Norman. Shanahan’s offense is No. 1 in America in scoring and No. 4 in yards/play.

Need I say more? If the 34-year-old wants to become a head coach, his odds of doing that increase if he shows he can perform away from the Cignetti staff. That’s reality. Lebby parlayed his Oklahoma OC role into an SEC head coaching opportunity. Technically, so did the aforementioned Riley … but we don’t need to go there.

Charlie Weis Jr., Ole Miss OC

OK, I promise that this is the last mention of Lebby. Weis succeeded him as OC’s offensive coordinator in Oxford after Lebby left for Oklahoma. You get it. The Ole Miss-to-Oklahoma OC pipeline is alive and well. The 31-year-old OC has primary play-calling duties, but as long as Lane Kiffin is overseeing the offense “full autonomy” won’t be part of his job description. That’d be different at Oklahoma with Venables. Hence, why Lebby was willing to make that jump.

Weis played a major role in the development of Jaxson Dart, who is leading an offense that ranks No. 3 in yards/play and No. 8 in scoring. What has Oklahoma struggled with more than ever in 2024? Chunk plays. What’s been the No. 1 strength of Ole Miss’ offense? Chunk plays. Weis’ unit ranks No. 2 in America in 20-yard plays while Oklahoma’s unit ranks second-to-last in FBS. Even if Kiffin has his hand in the offense, Weis is a rising star who could thrive at a place like Oklahoma.

Tim Beck, Vanderbilt OC

It’s not just Diego Pavia who’s responsible for Vandy’s rise after coming over from New Mexico State. Beck’s presence as Vandy’s primary play-caller has been monumental. Clark Lea crushed that hire when he opted to bring over all the best things about New Mexico State’s 10-win squad. By bringing Beck into the fold, Vandy added someone who could scheme against anyone … even Alabama. Hence, the 12-for-18 3rd-down conversion rate in Vandy’s first win against a top-5 program in school history.

But look beyond the Alabama win and you’ll see why Beck’s been so successful in his first season in the SEC:

Shift to Wildcat + QB Sweep + Fake Reverse + Flood pic.twitter.com/s0JWOf6hjc

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) September 23, 2024

Beck would certainly be unconventional from the standpoint that he’s a 60-year-old OC who spent 33 of the last 37 years at Pittsburg State in Division II’s Mid-American Athletic Association (it’s truly the SEC of Division II). But if the goal is bringing in someone who can scheme in the SEC and maximize a quarterback’s potential, Beck would check both boxes.

Brennan Marion, UNLV OC

Remember when the entire college football world freaked out when UNLV QB Matthew Sluka announced he was sitting out the rest of the season after he said there were failed NIL promises? Well, all that happened since then is UNLV put up 183 points in 4 games (46 points/game) with Hajj-Malik Williams at quarterback. UNLV is No. 5 in America in scoring and No. 21 in yards/play. Marion has total autonomy on offense with the defensive-minded HC Barry Odom, but obviously, we’re comparing one of the most prestigious programs in America to a UNLV program that entered the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history this season.

Even better? Marion is a Tulsa graduate, so there are Oklahoma roots. Plus, he was on Steve Sarkisian’s Texas staff as the passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach in 2022. Wait … is that a negative? Oh well. At least it wouldn’t be plucking directly from Texas’ staff.

And a wild card that’s worth a mention … Arkansas OC Bobby Petrino

OK, I know what you’re thinking. Hiring Petrino is the ultimate sign of a desperate coach. Jimbo Fisher did it ahead of his final year at Texas A&M and Sam Pittman did it ahead of what many expected to be his final year at Arkansas. If Oklahoma fails to have a winning season — something that looks increasingly likely — many will enter 2025 wondering if it’ll be Brent Venables’ last season in Norman. Desperate? It could be.

For what it’s worth, Petrino improved A&M’s offense by 11 points/game even with 3 different starting QBs, and so far with a mistake-prone Taylen Green at quarterback, the Hogs are already at last year’s win total with a more established offensive identity. Petrino still has it. But would it take Pittman getting fired to make Petrino available? Probably. And wouldn’t that likely include Arkansas’ offense regressing? Also fair.

But hey, that’s why this is a wild card scenario. There’s no wild card quite like a desperate coach adding Petrino to their hand.

Connor O'Gara

Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.