It did not take long after Bob Stoops announced he was retiring for callers of “The Paul Finebaum Show” and college football fans on social media to start speculating on where the former Oklahoma coach might coach again, perhaps in 2018.

With a 79 percent career winning percentage (190-48), it’s certainly not surprising to hear Stoops name already linked to potential Power 5 openings.  Urban Meyer cited his health when he left Florida prior to the 2011 season, but was back on the sidelines at Ohio State for the 2012 season. Any team with a coach on the hot seat could make the case for improving by bringing in the 56-year-old Stoops.

While plenty of coaches continue to coach beyond 56 (Nick Saban is 65) or even start new jobs (Mark Richt is 57), for Stoops, it may be seen as a time to focus on life away from football. During an ESPN Radio appearance this afternoon, FOX Sports college football reporter Bruce Feldman brought up the story of Stoops’ father, Ron Sr. The long-time high school defensive coordinator passed away in 1989 at the age of 54. Ron suffered a heart attack while coaching a game and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Feldman says that with his father in mind, Stoops would tell people that he planned to retire at 55.

While Feldman did not have a detailed timeline behind the decision to retire on Wednesday, he noted that planning has been going on for about a year. Audio from the segment of Feldman speaking with Bomani Jones can be heard below.