Oklahoma football: It’s not too soon for another Sooner Heisman winner in 2020
By Chip Rouse
Lately, the Heisman Watch has become synonymous with Oklahoma football.
And why not? Four Sooners, all quarterbacks, have been awarded college football’s most prestigious individual honor, in the past 25 years. That is more than any other school during that period,
Oklahoma’s seven Heisman winners puts the Sooners in a three-way tie with Ohio State and Notre Dame for the most from any one school.
Not only has an Oklahoma player come out on top in the Heisman balloting four times in the past quarter century, but three other times a Sooner has been the runner-up in the Heisman voting (Josh Heupel in 2000, Adrian Peterson in 2004 and Jalen Hurts this past season).
Additionally, Oklahoma has produced two Heisman finalists on three different occasions since 2004 and has had at least one Heisman finalist for four straight years.
Following that trail of logic, why wouldn’t an Oklahoma player — especially if he plays the quarterback position for the Sooners — make the preseason watch list for the next Heisman Trophy presentation?
That is the case for the guy projected to be the next Oklahoma starting quarterback, even if he has all thrown 11 total passes in his college career — he did complete seven of them, however, and one was for a touchdown.
Spencer Rattler was the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2019 recruiting class. He saw action in just three games in 2019, but was able to get a year of learning in Lincoln Riley’s offensive system, while backing up Jalen Hurts and Tanner Mordecai.
Despite his limited game experience, the fact that Rattler is wearing an Oklahoma jersey has garnered him enough equity to be given the third best odds in the most recent 2020 preseason Heisman Trophy projections, including Action Network. Rattler has been holding fairly steady at 12-1 odds in most of the preseason Heisman handicapping. He ranks third behind two of the best returning quarterbacks in college football in Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State signa-caller Josh Fields.
Riley has said that the highly talented and athletic Rattler will still have to win the quarterback in training camp competition with Mordecai, but let’s be real about this. Rattler is going to be the starting QB when the 2020 season opens.
Rattler is a more talented passer than Jalen Hurts, which is why most college football analysts are not expecting the Oklahoma offense to miss a beat with the young QB behind center. Some analysts are comparing Rattler’s style of play to that of fomer Sooner Heisman winner Baker Mayfield. He has a quick release and throws with accuracy all over the field. His athleticism and threat as a runner gives him the ability to extend plays and make something out of nothing.
If Rattler is able pick up where his immediate predecessors left off and keep the prolific OU offense humming on all cylinders, there is good reason to believe he could find himself in New York City next December at the 2020 Heisman presentation ceremony.
Lately, New York City in early December has become a rite of passage for Oklahoma quarterbacks.