Stoops could’ve come out of retirement to be LSU’s, USC’s, Florida’s, FSU’s, Notre Dame’s coach but he passed on all those jobs. Hell he could’ve had his old job at Oklahoma back when Riley bolted for USC. If Stoops passed on all those jobs he’s not going to tarnish his resume by taking over his middling alma and end up being persona non grata like Frost.
If Stoops really wanted to coach again, and at Iowa specifically, he’d would’ve taken one of those high profile jobs, turned them around, then jump to iowa once Kuck retires. IMO Stoops has been out of coaching too long to come back. But as the old saying goes… “never say never” I guess.