Former Oklahoma defensive coordinator Zac Alley is leaving Norman for the same role at West Virginia. Sooners star Robert Spears-Jennings got cryptic on social media shortly after the news was announced.
What does it mean? There is no way to know for sure, but fans are doing their best to decode the mysterious message.
Alley, 30, reunited with head college football coach Brent Venables in Norman in January. The former previously described the latter as a “mentor” and “second father.” They worked together to coach the 19th-ranked defense in the country during their lone year together at Oklahoma.
However, the Sooners finished their year with a disappointing loss in the Armed Forces bowl on Friday. Alley addressed his future with the program after the game as speculation ran wild that another job offer was out there waiting for him. It sounded like he was not going anywhere because his focus is on 2025.
Every year, there’s going to be something that comes up with jobs and whatnot, man, but I’m just excited about our team. I think coming back next season, we’re going to have a great opportunity to be successful, be a top defense in the country, and hopefully we got some young guys who can come along to help us do that.
— Zac Alley on Friday evening
Although Alley did not outright discredit the rumors with his comments, he supposedly told his players that he would be back. That is not confirmed but seems to be the consensus.
Zac Alley bounced anyway.
Regardless of what he did or did not say, Zac Alley officially accepted the defensive coordinator job on Rich Rodriguez’s staff at West Virginia less than 24 hours later. The move will allow him full control of the defense, which was not the case in Norman because Venables is a defensive coach. It also guarantees that he will have a job for at least three years (unless he gets fired) while Oklahoma could choose to overhaul their staff if they do not compete for the Playoff next fall.
Junior defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings finished as the team’s second-leading tackler this season with 66 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception. He posted one single emoji on X in response to Alley’s exit.
🚶🏾♂️…
—@RobertJ3nnings
That was it!
The emoji indicates “walking.” But what does it mean in this context? It could imply that Alley is walking out and turned his back on his guys. It could indicate that Jennings is also going to walk out on the Sooners and play his final year of eligibility for the Mountaineers. Nobody knows for sure!