Former Arizona coach Mike Stoops heading to Alabama as an analyst

It’s always great to see former members of the Arizona family continue to succeed, and it’s especially great to see Mike Stoops do well outside of Tucson.

For anyone that is curious and has been following, former Arizona head coach Mike Stoops is heading to Alabama. After being let go as the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma earlier in the year, he will now head to Tuscaloosa to become a football analyst for the Crimson Tide.

While it’s a dog eat dog world in college athletics, former Arizona head coach Mike Stoops is certainly no stranger to that, having been around while in the coaching ranks for some time and having gone through some changes.

Arizona Wildcats

At one time, he was once considered the top defensive coordinator in all of college football, who took the shot at trying to turn around a program that was perceived as a conference doormat. In his seven-and-a-half seasons in Tucson, he made the Wildcats respectable again.

Unfortunately after reaching his peak in 2008-09, things came to an unceremonious end just a couple seasons later as Stoops was let go mid-season during a 1-5 start by the Wildcats in 2011.

Since then, he returned to his old stomping grounds in Norman, OK to become the Sooners’ defensive coordinator again. However, his tenure in Oklahoma finally came to an end this year, as Stoops was let go during the season, following a loss to rival Texas.

From once having college football stardom, Stoops is now just another former head coach that had trouble succeeding at a place that was tough to win at in the first place.

Now 57, Stoops will make another transition, this time to the SEC.

To answer the question you’re probably thinking, no, he will likely not be shouting along the sidelines for Alabama. No, instead he will be an analyst for arguably the most prestigious football program in all of college football.

He will take his talents to Tuscaloosa, where he will work as an analyst/ consultant in some capacity, learning from some of the best in the business, and of course continuing to challenge himself.

Regardless of how you feel about the man, it’s great to still see him succeed. He took a bad Arizona football program, and gave us a couple winning years, while putting a few talented players in the NFL. For that, we should be grateful.

At Zona Zealots, we are happy for the former head coach and wish him tremendous success as he opens a new chapter of his life! Bear Down, Arizona!