Oklahoma Football: Seven Sooners Who Are Stars in Waiting to Watch for Come Fall
By Chip Rouse
Linebacker Caleb Kelly Grew up Fast in 2016, and His Future Is Even Brighter
Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma coaches knew they had someone special with the recruitment of California native Caleb Kelly, and the five-star recruit lived up to those expectations in his freshman season in 2016.
Kelly got better each and every week last season, culminating in a breakout performance in the Sooners’ Sugar Bowl victory over Auburn.
The Sooner freshman linebacker was a disruptive force the entire game in the Sugar Bowl against the SEC’s second best team last season. Kelly ended up with a team-high 12 tackles in the game, eight of them unassisted, and was a key contributor in limiting the vaunted Auburn rushing attack to just 185 yards.
Kelly recorded four tackles in his first five games last season, and 32 in his last six games of 2016.
He may have been a young, unproven prospect at the beginning of the 2016 season, but there is no question Kelly was playing like a wily veteran by season’s end.