Conspiracy season: A big Sooners de-commit happened... is Lincoln Riley leaving? If so, where’s he going?

There is no telling what is going to happen to the Dallas Cowboys any time soon. New Year’s Day reached its halfway point and there was still no word or announcement of a word from America’s Team that they would be or are planning on or are even considering a change at head coach.

Reports swirled on Tuesday that Jason Garrett said his good byes and had his meeting with the Joneses, so what is left to do? Why the prolonged wait?

There are a number of theories going around because as you know, idle hands and what not. Frustration from fans seems to stem from the standpoint that if the longer the Cowboys wait to make their divorce from Jason Garrett official the longer they have between now and the beginning of a head coaching search.

Of course it is possible that the Cowboys already have their head coach, or at least the idea of it and perhaps even something thought of in principle, in mind and therefore aren’t concerned with a wide net of time being necessary. There is in fact one possibility in the world of likelihood scenarios that the Cowboys are going to execute a specific run of actions if and when they officially part ways with Jason Garrett.

Could Lincoln Riley be one of those possibilities?

The Dallas Cowboys have been linked to Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley in the minds of fans for over a year now. In the last few months that idea has picked up legitimate steam and with Oklahoma’s loss in the College Football Playoff last weekend, Riley now has some free time on his hands.

So what is Riley doing right now then? Why hasn’t he boarded a chopper to head south to The Star in Frisco? We don’t and likely won’t know the answer to any of those hypotheticals soon if ever, but there is something interesting that we do know.

NFL Network producer Boby Belt pointed out on Twitter that Brock Vandagiff announced that he was de-committing from the University of Oklahoma. Why is that significant? Oh for no reason, Vandagriff just happens to be the top-ranked quarterback in the class of 2021.

Riley has had enormous success with quarterbacks during his three-year run with the Sooners. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray both won the Heisman Trophy and went number one overall in their respective drafts under his tutelage (that was just his first two years). This past season he helped Jalen Hurts in his transfer season put forth a campaign that sent him to New York City for the Heisman ceremony, but nobody was going to beat LSU’s Joe Burrow.

If Riley is in fact so renowned in working with quarterbacks, then wouldn’t it take serious consideration for a top-ranked quarterback to not want to work with him? What if he couldn’t work with him? As Belt subsequently pointed out, Vandagriff told SI back in early December that Riley was the primary reason that he chose OU and would strongly consider leaving if Riley wasn’t there.

Q: Obviously you committed to Oklahoma back in June of this year, what is it about the Sooners that drew you in?

”I would probably say the Lincoln Riley aspect and the offense. I was planning on staying close to home and playing in the SEC, but when they offered it was tough to overlook. They’ve had back to back Heismans and #1 overall draft picks. So, that’s what got the first visit out there and from watching film with him (Riley) I just kind of fell in love with that offense.”

Q: What happens if Lincoln Riley leaves Oklahoma for the NFL?

“We’d have to see who they hire, but Kirby and Dan Mullen know that they are number two and three back to back if Lincoln Riley leaves. Because that’s probably why I’m going there, Lincoln Riley himself. You can be a product of the system there and be very successful. But when Kirby came to Prince Avenue last month I told him ‘Look if Lincoln Riley leaves, I’ll probably commit to Georgia the next week.”

Is it possible that Vandagriff has gotten word that Riley won’t in fact be in Norman and that is why he is de-committing like he said that he would? And if Riley is leaving Oklahoma, where could he possibly be going? Perhaps the one place that the world has been connecting him to for over a year now in the Dallas Cowboys?

Of course, Vandagriff could have de-committed from OU for any number of reasons. The Sooners have another incredible quarterback in Spencer Rattler that is expected to be their starter in 2020. Perhaps he doesn’t want to compete with him and that is the explanation.

What do you think?