from Jim and the university at this time will go a long way to solidify that effort. I’m happy to be here in Tucson for a long time as head coach of our Wildcats. This is where my family wants to be." The Wildcats compiled an 8–4 (6–3) record in the 2009 regular season, which earned them a share of second place in the Pac-10 and a bid to the Holiday Bowl. Stoops was named a semifinalist for the George Munger Award, but was not named a finalist. The Wildcats compiled a 7–5 (4–5) record in the 2010 regular season, which earned them a seventh-place finish in the Pac-10 and a bid to the Alamo Bowl. This bid was due, in part, to only four Pac-10 teams being bowl eligible after USC was sanctioned from bowl eligibility, and Arizona State was denied a bowl waiver from the NCAA, which it needed because two of ASU's wins came against FCS teams. Both USC and Arizona State finished higher than Arizona in the Pac-10 standings. Oregon and Stanford were selected for BCS bowls, and the Rose Bowl selected an at large team, TCU, to pair with the Big Ten champion, Wisconsin, leaving the second highest Pac-10 affiliated bowl game, the Alamo Bowl, to choose between Arizona and Washington. The Wildcats started the 2011 season losing five of their six games, and their first four games in the newly expanded Pac-12 Conference. After a loss on the road to previously-winless Oregon State, Stoops was relieved of his duties on October 10, 2011 with the announcement made by athletic director Greg Byrne. Co-defensive coordinator Tim Kish was named as interim head coach. Stoops received a $1.4 million buyout from Arizona. Return to Oklahoma On January 11, 2012, Stoops returned to OU as co-defensive coordinator. He was to be teamed with Brent Venables, who shortly left to become the defensive coordinator at Clemson. Kish was soon after named as Oklahoma's linebackers coach. When his brother retired at the end of the 2016 season, Stoops was retained by his successor, Lincoln Riley. In October 2018, Stoops was fired from his position as defensive coordinator shortly after losing to Texas (48–45). Alabama Nick Saban hired Stoops to be on his coaching staff as an analyst for the 2019 season. Mark Stoops, his brother, offered him a position as an assistant coach at Kentucky for the 2020 season.