Bob Stoops shocked the college football world on Wednesday by announcing that he will step down as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Stoops was the head man at OU for 18 seasons. Lincoln Riley, Stoops' offensive coordinator, will take over as the school's head coach.

"I understand there has been some speculation about my health," Stoops stated. "My health was not the deciding factor in this decision and I've had no incidents that would prevent me from coaching. I feel the timing is perfect to hand over the reins. The program is in tremendous shape. We have outstanding players and coaches and are poised to make another run at a Big 12 and national championship. We have new state-of-the-art facilities and a great start on next year's recruiting class. The time is now because Lincoln Riley will provide a seamless transition as the new head coach, capitalizing on an excellent staff that is already in place and providing familiarity and confidence for our players. Now is simply the ideal time for me and our program to make this transition.

"The Bible says, 'To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.' I'm grateful for this season of my life, and feel I've fulfilled my purpose here at OU as its head football coach."