No coach in the FBS ranks enters the 2016 season with more uninterrupted tenure than Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, who has won 11 or more games in 11 of his 17 seasons.
Stoops also has something else going for him. His coaching peers would trust their sons with him.
ESPN.com posed the following question to 23 head coaches in the Big 12 and SEC: If you had a son who was an elite football prospect and could play for any coach in America other than yourself, who would be your first choice?
Stoops, set to embark on his 18th season at Oklahoma, was selected by five different coaches. Michigan State's Mark Dantonio and Stanford's David Shaw were the second-most popular choices, each receiving three votes.
The coaches were given anonymity. That way, they could answer honestly and not worry about slighting one of their former assistants or friends in the profession.