No. 7 — Jamelle Holieway, Oklahoma quarterback (1985-88)
Jamelle Holieway came a long distance to play quarterback at Oklahoma. One of the best of the Wishbone or option quarterbacks to play at Oklahoma, the California native might not have had the opportunity to play quarterback for the Sooners had college All-American and NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman not broken his ankle in a 1985 game against the University of Miami.
Holieway replaced Aikman in Game 4 of the 1985 season, a 27-14 home loss to Miami, and proceeded to lead them to eight consecutive wins and a 25-10 victory over Penn State that earned the Sooners their sixth national championship.
In four seasons at OU, Holieway compiled 2,713 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards every time he ran with the football. He exceeded 800 yards rushing in each of his first three seasons, but a late-season knee injury in his junior year, limited his productivity and, subsequently, his playing time his senior season.
Holieway wasn’t as accomplished a passer, completing just 45 percent of his pass attempts, but still threw for over 2,700 yards while at OU.
Until Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to the national championship last season, Holieway was the first true freshman to lead his team to a national title.
Holieway played two season in the NFL (1989-90 with the Los Angeles Raiders) and two in the Canadian Football League before retiring from professional football in 1992.