Mark Stoops Reportedly Hired by Texas for Sarkisian's Staff, Brother of Oklahoma Legend Bob Stoops

A member of the Stoops family will reportedly be on the Texas sideline when the Longhorns face the archrival Oklahoma Sooners next season.

Chip Brown of 247Sports reported Monday that Texas hired Mark Stoops as a special assistant for head coach Steve Sarkisian's staff. While Stoops was the head coach of Kentucky for the last 13 seasons, he is also the brother of legendary Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops.

Stoops went 82-80 during his time with the Wildcats and led them to two of their only four double-digit win seasons in program history in 2018 and 2021. However, they were 4-8 in 2024 and 5-7 in 2025 before he was fired.

He brings a defensive background to Texas after previously serving as the defensive backs coach for South Florida, Wyoming, Houston and Miami before he was the defensive coordinator at Arizona.

Brown cited a source who said Stoops and Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp "have a lot of respect for each other," and they surely figure to work together on that side of the ball in 2026 following this move.

Texas is coming off a 10-3 season that ended in a Citrus Bowl win over Michigan.

It will surely be in College Football Playoff or bust mode in 2026 with quarterback Arch Manning returning, and Stoops will look to help make those goals a reality by bringing plenty of experience to the coaching staff.