Sooner Quarterback Decision Still in Suspense Mode

It’s a little over two weeks now before the 2015 season opener and the Sooner quarterback issue is still very much up in the air, which all somehow seems fitting, because the player who exhibits the best flair for the air game of offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley will undoubtedly land the starting role.

If you ask the OU coaches about the QB situation – which has seemingly become the question du jour of reporters covering the Sooners’ training camp over the past 10 days – the answer you get is that they all look very good and have all show excellent progress in adapting to the new offensive system that Riley is installing.

So where does that leave us, really? Hard to tell, although I believe it would surprise, though not startle, most people if Baker Mayfield doesn’t emerge from the guessing game as the Sooner starter to open the season.

“They’re all three repping equally,” Riley said in an interview on Monday with Oklahoma City Oklahoman OU beat writer Jason Kersey. “They’re making it hard on Stoops (Bob) and I, the rest of the staff.”

Nov 22, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Cody Thomas (14) during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The three the new OU offensive coordinator is referring to, of course, are Mayfield, a junior transfer from Texas Tech, Trevor Knight and sophomore Cody Thomas, who started three games late last season when Knight was injured.

While all the talk inside and outside of the program is focusing on a two-man competition between Mayfield and Knight, according to Riley and others, Thomas is right there in the thick of things.

Passing skills are obviously paramount in the new offense, but perhaps the most important criteria is the ability to make good decisions and be able to make them quickly and under fire. This has been an area of concern for all three OU quarterbacks in their time as starters.

Knight has thrown 23 touchdown passes in his two seasons at quarterback at OU, but also 17 interceptions. Three of his interceptions were returned for touchdowns in Sooner losses last season. Mayfield has had similar problems with interceptions. In his one season at Texas Tech, his touchdown-to-interception ratio was a concerning 12/9.

According to Riley, both Mayfield and Knight are taking much better care of the ball and demonstrating better decision making in their throws during spring practice sessions and in the current training camp.

One of the things that Riley has stressed to his quarterback candidates and to the offense is to keep the energy level high, which was evident in last Saturday’s controlled scrimmage.

“That’s something that Coach Riley has been pushing. Not to start fast, but continue playing fast and continue pushing on the pedal throughout the game,” Knight told the Oklahoman’s Kersey. ”

As the quarterback competition for the starter’s role goes on, it would seem to be a very stressful time for the three players  vying for the job, especially as the date for the opening game draws closer. Sooner wide receiver Durron Neal says that hasn’t been the case, though.

“I can see the guys (Mayfield, Knight and Thomas) more relaxed,” Neal was quoted as saying in an article by Guerin Emig in the Tulsa World. “They all have a clean slate. Once you have a clean slate, you get to step back and ease your mind and just take one day at a time. All those guys compete and hold each other accountable as well.”

If history holds to form, we could learn who will be designated as the No. 1 QB sometime next week. The last time there was a quarterback competition prior to the season was in 2013, when Blake Bell, Knight and Kendal Thompson were competing for the job. Knight ultimately got the nod, and the announcement came nine days before the Sooners opened the season against the University of Louisiana-Monroe.