Bob Stoops retired after 18 years at the helm of the Oklahoma Sooners football program, paving the way for the promotion of Oklahoma offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Lincoln Riley, who now becomes the youngest head coach in all of FBS college football.
RELATED: Who is Lincoln Riley? The New Oklahoma Football Coach is a High-Riser
Riley is more than two years younger than the next youngest head coach — Memphis' Mike Norvell, who is 35 years old.
All told, 14 college football head coaches are younger than 40 years old, with Riley joining Mike Sanford, Jr. (Western Kentucky) and Major Applewhite (Houston) as coaches getting their first shot at a head coaching gig in the 2017 college football season.
Two coaches under 40 — P.J. Fleck and Matt Campbell — are already in their second head coaching gig. Fleck took the head coaching job at Minnesota this year after four seasons at Western Michigan and Campbell took the Iowa State job in 2016 after four years in Toledo.
RELATED: Bob Stoops Retires: Iowa's Kirk Ferentz Now the Longest Tenured FBS Coach
Here's a look at the 14 head college football coaches in the FBS level who are under 40 years of age (as of June 7, 2017):
| Coach | School | Age | Year Hired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Riley | Oklahoma | 33 | 2017 |
| Mike Norvell | Memphis | 35 | 2016 |
| Mike Sanford, Jr. | Western Kentucky | 35 | 2017 |
| P.J. Fleck | Minnesota | 36 | 2017 |
| Kliff Kingsbury | Texas Tech | 37 | 2013 |
| Jason Candle | Toledo | 37 | 2016 |
| Matt Campbell | Iowa State | 37 | 2016 |
| Neal Brown | Troy | 37 | 2015 |
| Tyson Summers | Georgia Southern | 37 | 2016 |
| Seth Littrell | North Texas | 38 | 2016 |
| Major Applewhite | Houston | 38 | 2017 |
| Nick Rolovich | Hawaii | 38 | 2016 |
| D.J. Durkin | Maryland | 39 | 2016 |
| Scottie Montgomery | East Carolina | 39 | 2016 |
MORE: Bob Stoops Net Worth: Retired Oklahoma Coach Made Bank
