Stoops’ Former Teammate Norvell Hired At Oklahoma

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops hired former college teammate Jay Norvell as his co-offensive coordinator on Thursday, filling the position that came open when Kevin Sumlin left to become Houston's head coach.  Norvell, who played at Iowa with Stoops in the early 1980s, will be in charge of the Sooners' wide receivers.

"He brings with him expertise in both coaching and recruiting and we feel there are significant contributions that he can make to our program,'' Stoops said.

Norvell joined Stoops' staff in 2002, but left after about a month to be an assistant on Bill Callahan's staff with the Oakland Raiders. He then spent three years on Callahan's staff at Nebraska before serving as UCLA's offensive coordinator last season.

"I'm so excited to work with Bob and the staff there,'' Norvell said. "I have so much respect for that program. The talent of the team, the quality of the staff and the tremendous support all mean so much to me. I've worked at a lot of schools and I know that this is a special situation.

Norvell also previously coached wide receivers for the Indianapolis Colts and had stints as an assistant at Iowa State, Wisconsin and Iowa. He played one season in the NFL with the Chicago Bears.

"I know the Big 12 and I know the defenses in that league,'' he said. "I feel like I can contribute in both coaching and recruiting.''