CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns may be interested in hiring a college coach. Bob Stoops, though, isn’t the
one.
A
person with direct knowledge of Cleveland’s ongoing coaching search
told The Associated Press that the Browns will not interview Oklahoma’s
coach, who has deep Ohio roots.
After his Sooners stunned Alabama
in the Sugar Bowl last week, Stoops did nothing to dispel a report that
said he had the "inside track" for the Browns’ job. But the person who
spoke to the AP on Monday said the team is not pursuing him and that any
reports saying so are "false." The person spoke on the condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the search.
Stoops said
"you never know" when asked about the possibility of one day coaching in
the NFL. His vague remarks fueled speculation about Cleveland’s
coaching vacancy. Stoops is from Youngstown and has been linked to the
Browns in the past.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner
are in the second week of their search after firing Rob Chudzinski, who
went 4-12 in his first and only season with Cleveland.
The team
has interviewed several candidates, including New England offensive
coordinator Josh McDaniels, Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and
Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Cleveland has also asked for
permission to meet with Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase, who
declined the chance to meet with the Browns or Minnesota Vikings because
he didn’t want to be a distraction during the Broncos’ playoff
preparations.
"I told both teams that were interested in me that I
appreciated it and I was going to wait until after our season had
concluded," Gase said. "They were great about it. They said they
appreciated me being up front and honest about it, and I thought that
was the best decision for what we are trying to accomplish with our
team."
If the Browns want to hire McDaniels, Quinn or Gase, they
will have to wait until their teams are no longer in the playoffs. That
could mean holding off until after the Super Bowl on Feb. 2.
McDaniels
confirmed his interview with the Browns during a conference call
Monday, but said his focus is on preparing for Saturday’s playoff game
against the Indianapolis Colts.
"We met and that’s about all there is at this point, nothing further," he said.
Cleveland is reportedly interested in speaking with Auburn’s Gus Malzahn and Vanderbilt’s James Franklin.

The Browns are not commenting on interviews during the search for their seventh full-time coach since
1999.
Last
week, Haslam said he was not putting a timeframe on finding his second
coach since buying the team in 2012. Haslam interviewed several college
coaches during last year’s search, including former Oregon coach Chip
Kelly and Syracuse’s Doug Marrone.
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AP Sports Writer Howard Ulman in Foxborough, Mass., contributed to this report.
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