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Lincoln Riley's first year goes according to plan

NORMAN — A year ago this week, Lincoln Riley wasn't ready to be named head football coach at Oklahoma.

Oh, Riley was ready to be the head coach. David Boren believed it. Bob Stoops believed it. Even Riley himself believed it, even if that sounds a little precocious, considering he was all of 33 years old.

But the announcement came quickly. The original plan was June 9, a Friday. Then word began to leak, and the transition — goodbye Stoops, hello Riley — was rushed to Wednesday afternoon, the day Riley knew for sure the baton was being passed.