Stoops says focus is on Sooners, not NFL rumors

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MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Saturday he has not been contacted by the Denver Broncos about their head coaching position and he has no interest in the job.

"That's a rumor I haven't heard and nobody contacted me about that," Stoops said. "I don't know anything about it. I'm preparing for a national championship and that's where all my focus and concentrations are."

Stoops, 48, made his comments after his team's workout Saturday afternoon at Barry University. The Sooners will meet Florida in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game Thursday night.

Speculation on Stoops came shortly after Mike Shanahan was fired last week. Stoops had visited the Broncos training camp in 2006 where he first met with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who graduated from Oklahoma with degrees in business and law.

"Obviously, I'm not a candidate and I'm sure somebody might have told me about that other than you guys," Stoops said. "That's not something I'm concerned about whatsoever. It's a great organization but I'm not a candidate for it."

Stoops said he is not concerned about the timing of the story affecting his team's focus for Thursday's game.

"I don't know why, because there's no story," Stoops said. "This is the first I heard of it."

Several Oklahoma players mentioned earlier in the day that they had seen stories that linked their coach with the NFL job, although Stoops said he hadn't talked to them about the reports.

"I guess I have to get back and watch TV," Stoops said. "I hadn't watched [reports] and didn't realize it was something I needed to do. My guys know that there's a lot of things said about me that's not true. I guess I'll have to deal with rumors. But it won't take long."

After the Sooners victory in the 2001 Orange Bowl, Stoops was mentioned for the then-vacant Cleveland Browns' head coaching job.

Stoops left open the possibility of taking a job in the NFL, saying Saturday that coaching in the league might intrigue him some day.

"At some point in my career, that might be the case," Stoops said. "Everybody wants you to tell them what you'll do in 10 years from now. Who knows? I don't know."

Tim Griffin covers college football for ESPN.com. You may contact him at espntimgriff@yahoo.com

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