The fallout continues in the wake of Lincoln Riley leaving the Oklahoma football program to become head coach of the USC Trojans.
Riley insists that OU’s impending move to the much stronger SEC Conference had no impact on his decision to leave Oklahoma, that the opportunity and timing were right and it was a chance to open a new chapter in his life and for his family.
We’ll never no differently, but come on. We all know his chances of succeeding in the Pac-12 with that league’s flagship brand is much higher than in college football’s strongest and most competitive conference.
The immediate fallout from Riley’s sudden change of heart and allegiance is the loss of seven four- and five-star recruiting commitments for OU’s 2022 and 2023 classes…and counting. Players are also leaving the Sooner program from the current roster.
BREAKING: Source tells me that the Florida State staff is in Norman, Okla. meeting with potential transfer options today.
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) November 30, 2021
Sooner players like QB Spencer Rattler, WR Jadon Haselwood & others have entered their name in the transfer portal
More on Noles247: https://t.co/U1eCcmny6t
On Monday, quarterback Spencer Rattler, the preseason Heisman favorite, announced to no one’s surprise that he was entering the transfer portal, Will he follow Riley to USC? We’ll have to wait and see. That was of no surprise to most OU fans.
On Tuesday, however, three of the team’s star receivers, junior WRs Theo Wease and Jadon Haselwood, announced that they were also transferring, along with junior TE Austin Stogner. Wease and Haselwood were five-star recruits in the same 2019 class that brought Rattler to Oklahoma. Stogner was rated four stars in that same class.
Wease, from Allen, Texas, played just one game this season after suffering a lower body injury in preseason camp. His best season was in 2020, when he was the team’s second leading receiver with 37 catches for 520 yards and four touchdowns.
Haselwood, the No. 1 receiver in the 2019 national recruiting class was OU’s second-leading receiver this season. He caught 39 passes for 399 yards and six touchdowns. For his Sooner career, he was credited with 62 receptions for 736 yards and an average of 11.2 per catch. Haselwood hails from Ellenwood, Georgia.
Stogner played in nine games this season, with 14 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns. His best season was his sophomore year in 2020 when the Plano, Texas, native had 26 receptions for 422 yards and an average of 16.2 yards per catch.
Ironically, the Sooners have been a big beneficiary of incoming talent through the transfer portal in recent seasons. Now they are beginning to feel the brunt of losing good players through the reverse process. Sadly, there will probably be more Sooners making this decision in the wake of Lincoln Riley leaving to fill the head-coaching vacancy at USC.