Alex Grinch aspires to be a future head coach, but said Tuesday he’s focused on coaching Oklahoma.
"It's there it absolutely is. And that's something for the offseason," Grinch said.
The third-year defensive coordinator’s name was floated in discussions about the Texas Tech opening after SoonerScoop reported he interviewed for the position on Nov. 4. However, the Red Raiders hired Baylor assistant Joey McGuire as their new coach on Monday.
Nevertheless, Grinch’s concentration is on the Sooners. When asked about rumors swirling around his future, he pivoted to his current attention, which is on Baylor Saturday.
“Believe me, job number one is to prepare these guys to play the best football we’ve played the entire season,” Grinch said. “Because I think that’s what it’s going to take to beat a very good Baylor team this weekend. That's always the focus.
"Even if you wanted to focus on something else, there's that play that comes to mind from practice that day. There's that play you might see. There's that adjustment. ... It's kind of how we're programmed."
Grinch arrived at OU following a co-defensive coordinator job at Ohio State in 2017, after he returned Washington State’s defense to prominence as coordinator from 2015-17. At Oklahoma, Grinch turned a Sooners defense that finished No. 101 out of 130 teams in total defense in 2018 to No. 28 in 2020.
Despite recent struggles resulting in his unit ranking No. 63 in total defense this season, Grinch appears a lock to be a future college football head coach.
Grinch and No. 8 OU take on No. 12 Baylor at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 13 in Waco (Fox).
