SOONER

An elegantly written, admiring portrait of a still-young but impressive college football coach.

Just 36 at the time of this book’s appearance, Lincoln Riley came to the University of Oklahoma in 2015 as an offensive coordinator. He soon took the head role after former coach Bob Stoops retired—a move that, by sportswriter Sneed’s account, afforded Stoops the chance to hand-pick his successor. Riley is modest about his achievements (and didn’t directly participate in the book, with the reasonable objection that he was too young for such a portrait). According to the author, Riley possesses a kind of iron-trap mind for football, “a unique ability bordering on genius” that enables him, in the words of a colleague, to see “concepts”—i.e., to formulate offensive and defensive formations and play them out in his mind. Football, writes Sneed, is “the art of using your concepts to explore and then exploit the weaknesses of your opponent.” The author’s knowledge of the game is evident throughout this well-paced account, which takes Riley from playing high school ball in a tiny town in West Texas to coaching positions at several schools before landing at Oklahoma. Riley’s deep understanding of the game and the psychology of play is clear, too, evidenced by his nurturing back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners and winning three successive Big 12 championships. Sneed closely analyzes some of Riley’s trademark tactics, including an approach to play that is lightning-quick and that took his players some time to get used to: “Pace had always been one of the most important elements of the Air Raid offense…but Oklahoma wasn’t quite getting there.” That would soon change. The author is especially good at describing some of the changes that technology has wrought on college ball, which now has a vast audience—and also enables fans to get inside players’ heads through instant messaging and social media.

Vigorous and smart, like its subject, and a special treat for Sooners fans.