Offensive firepower has long been a hallmark of Oklahoma football, but none more so than since Lincoln Riley arrived on the scene in Norman.
Some college football experts are saying that the 2021 edition of the Sooner offense could be the best one under Riley yet. That got me to wondering how some of the OU’s top offensive skill positions for this coming season would grade out in a video game platform
EA Sports announced back in February that it would be rebooting its college football video game, a game that had been completely dead in the water since NCAA Football 14 was released in 2013.
The moment the announcement was made, and I’m only partly kidding, gave me a sense of overwhelming joy that I hadn’t felt since my wedding day. It also got me thinking, how would some of the key players in the 2021 Oklahoma offense be represented in a video game? What would their skills/ratings be?
For those of you who may be unaware, sports games typically rate player ability on a 1-99 scale. For example, a 99 speed rating would be blazing fast, where as a 1 speed rating would essentially be a walking pace. There are many different categories that the players are graded on: like speed, strength, catching, throw power/accuracy, agility, blocking, route running, and more.
All these ratings are added together to create an overall rating, with different abilities being weighted depending on a players position. For example, a QB’s pass blocking rating won’t effect his overall rating, but his throw accuracy will.
QB Spencer Rattler
Throw Power: 94
Throw Accuracy: 90
Awareness: 81
Speed: 74
Overall: 90
This is subject to change, obviously. In Rattler’s redshirt-freshman season, his arm talent was undeniable. The criticism he faced came in the decision-making department. That’s why I made his awareness rating an 81. That’s relatively low for a QB that many deem to be elite. His throw power and accuracy are both in the 90’s. He’s proved that he’s an elite arm talent. His arm strength is especially displayed when throwing on the run, and he’s proved that he can layer throws over linebackers and underneath defensive backs with relative ease.
WR Theo Wease
Speed: 86
Route Running: 89
Catching: 88
Agility: 91
Overall: 87
An 87 overall ranking isn’t going to turn many heads, but it’s very solid for a starting receiver in a football video game. Theo Wease is hard to adequately evaluate. He made a lot of really tough grabs in 2020 but also dropped his fair share of passes as well. His speed rating is lower than most receivers. Against Texas Tech in 2020, Wease had an opportunity to break loose down the sideline only to be easily caught from behind by a chasing defender. However, Wease always seems to make the first defender miss, which is why I have his agility rating in the 90’s.
WR Marvin Mims
Speed: 90
Agility: 87
Catching: 93
Route Running: 97
Overall: 92
Marvin Mims’ strength is in his route running. He runs clean, precise routes and has a knack for being absolutely wide open. He doesn’t have a lot of drops, and has shown that he can make difficult grabs in traffic. His agility is an 87, which is pretty good, but I haven’t seen Mims put many defenders on skates yet.
WR Jadon Haselwood
Speed: 84
Catching: 93
Strength: 91
Break Tackle: 90
I’m a huge Jadon Haselwood fan. He’s dealing with a knee injury right now and is not at 100 percent mobility which is why I have his speed relatively low. However, he has terrific hands and the strength to hang on to the ball through a lot of contact. He’s also shown his ability to run through defenders when the ball is in his hand. Hopefully he can be at full strength in 2021 to really showcase his ability.
RB Kennedy Brooks
Speed: 85
Break Tackle: 90
Ball Carrier Vision: 94
Overall: 89
I’ll be honest, Kennedy Brooks is probably the most difficult running back to evaluate in college football history. He doesn’t wow you with his speed or athleticism, but whatever he’s doing just seems to work. I realize that’s a pretty abysmal player description, but Brooks is truly an enigma. He doesn’t even look like he’s making a move, but would-be tacklers are constantly grabbing at his ankles as he runs by them. I don’t know what he’s doing, but I just hope he keeps doing it.
I’ll be doing this again with a handful of OU defenders in the near future. What are some player ratings I didn’t mention? Let me know in the comments who you would’ve included!