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Oklahoma football: ESPN officially declares OU ‘Quarterback U’

By Chip Rouse

STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 04: Quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks to throw against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 62-52. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 04: Quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks to throw against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 62-52. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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If you ask me, it’s been pretty obvious for several years now, but ESPN is finally ready to officially declare the Oklahoma football program as the new “Quarterback U” of college football.

Someone please tell me, how can you dispute this: Of the last three Oklahoma starting quarterbacks, two won the Heisman Trophy while the third was the Heisman runner-up, two were No. 1 overall NFL draft picks and another was a second-rounder, and in two of the last three recruiting classes Oklahoma has nabbed the the No. 1 national quarterback prospect.

If that’s not enough to tell you that Oklahoma is where you want to be if you’re a QB, consider the fact that the Sooners have produced four Heisman Trophy winners at the quarterback position in the last 16 seasons.

Despite this, ESPN’s first edition of what it is calling “Position U,” published a year ago, had USC in the top spot for attracting and developing college quarterbacks.

In an article by ESPN staff writer David Hale, posted this week, Oklahoma is the new No. 1 for the quarterback position unit, replacing No. 2 USC. The top five schools at that position, according to ESPN’s “Position U 2.0” are the Sooners, Trojans, Oregon, Louisville and Texas.

While quarterback unquestionably has been the featured position in Lincoln Riley’s Air Raid offensive system — in each of the five seasons Riley has been at OU as both offensive coordinator and now in his fourth season as head coach, the Sooner quarterback has finished in the top five in the Heisman voting — that’s not the only offensive position unit to receive high marks in ESPN’s “Position U 2.0” rankings.

The Sooners rank in the top five in three other offensive position groups and sixth in another.

ESPN latest Position-U rankings list Oklahoma No. 2 for wide receivers, ironically behind USC; No. 3 for offensive linemen; No. 5 for running backs, and No.6 for tight ends.

Although the Sooners have had strong defensive teams in the past, defense is generally not OU’s historical strength. Despite this, ESPN ranks Oklahoma No. 6 at the linebacker position. Some of the great players who have played that position in past years are Kenneth Murray, Curtis Loftin, Teddy Lehman, and Brian Bosworth and George Cumby from the Barry Switzer years.

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