Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch have found their man and are returning to the west coast in the process.
Arizona State defensive line coach Jamar Cain will join the OU defensive staff and replace the spot left by Ruffin McNeill, The Athletic first reported, coincided by a report from DevilsDigest.com.
McNeill left the program as the outside linebackers coach last week, announcing he was going back home to take care of his father in North Carolina.
It's not clear at this time the scope of Cain's responsibilities on the defensive side of the ball, but it's clear the Sooners made Cain a substantial offer to lure him away from Arizona State where he was reported to be making $290K per year, according to USA Today.
For reference, McNeill was making $575K this last season with the Sooners.
Cain spent one season in Tempe and made a huge difference on the recruiting trail. He was the lead recruiter for four four-star prospects and two of those (Elihjah Badger and Daniyel Ngata) were in the final Rivals 250. Three of those prospects were from California.
Prior to his time at ASU, Cain spent two seasons at Fresno State and three at North Dakota State under now KSU head coach Chris Klieman.
The hire represents the Sooners attempting to be a factor in Northern California once again. After making a huge impact in the early 2010s, the Sooners flag hasn’t been planted nearly as much in the state recently.
The 2020 class has zero signees from California as does the early 2021 commitment crop. Only safety Jeremiah Criddell remains from the 2019 group. You have to go back to 2018 with defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles and running back T.J. Pledger to find a true Cali presence for the Sooners.
The addition of Cain means the OU coaching staff is set for the 2020 season. OU announced the hiring of DeMarco Murray as running backs coach earlier this week. No formal announcement has been made by OU regarding Cain just yet.
The salaries for Murray and Cain have not been released at this time.
