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Oklahoma football: Ranking the all-time, top-10 Sooner QBs

By Chip Rouse

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 02: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners throws a pass against the Auburn Tigers during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 2, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 02: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners throws a pass against the Auburn Tigers during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 2, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS – JANUARY 4: Quarterback Jason White #18 of the Oklahoma Sooners on the field during the game against the Louisiana State Tigers in the Nokia Sugar Bowl National Championship on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The LSU Tigers defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 21-14 to win the National Championship. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS – JANUARY 4: Quarterback Jason White #18 of the Oklahoma Sooners on the field during the game against the Louisiana State Tigers in the Nokia Sugar Bowl National Championship on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The LSU Tigers defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 21-14 to win the National Championship. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

No. 6 — Jason White, Oklahoma quarterback (1999-2004)

Jason White began his career at Oklahoma the same year Bob Stoops became the new head coach of the Sooners (1999), but really didn’t come into his own as one of the top players in the country until three years later.

White, who grew up in Tuttle, Oklahoma, a mere 30 miles west of the OU campus, was a reserve quarterback behind Josh Heupel his freshman season in 1999. He redshirted his sophomore year and suffered season-ending knee injuries in both 2001 and 2002.

Despite having surgeries on both of his knees, White rehabilitated himself and regained the starting role at quarterback to open the 2003 season. The surgeries greatly limited his mobility, but did nothing to effect his ability to throw the football and do so with great accuracy and touch.

White led the 2003 Sooners to 12 consecutive wins and a No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press Media Poll. Oklahoma lost to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship game and later to LSU in the BSC National Championship game, but White’s 3,846 passing yards that season, to go along with 40 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions, was good enough to earn him the Heisman Trophy. He was the fourth Oklahoma Sooner to win the prestigious award and the first Sooner quarterback to be so honored.

White also had an exceptional season the following year, in 2004, completing 66 percent of his passes for 3,201 yards, 39 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Sooners were 12-1 that year, their only loss to USC in the BCS National Championship. White finished third in his bid to become only the second college player to win the Heisman in back-to-back seasons. His teammate, Adrian Peterson, was second in the 2004 Heisman voting. USC quarterback Matt Leinart won the award that year.

With 7,922 career passing yards during his time at OU, White ranks fourth all-time among Sooner quarterbacks.

Despite two exceptional seasons as the Oklahoma quarterback and a Heisman Trophy in hand, White was not drafted in the NFL, largely because of concerns over his knee surgeries and his limited mobility.

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