It's no secret the Oklahoma Sooners have always crossed the Red River to find needed talent in that other state, but it's often overlooked how many of OU's stars were homegrown right here in the Sooner State, especially when Bob Stoops was in charge.
From Heisman Trophy winners to national champions, here are the best in-state recruits that Stoops kept in Oklahoma to become homestate legends.
Read more: 5 in-state recruits the Sooners will always regret letting out of Oklahoma
The greatest Sooners to come from Oklahoma under Bob Stoops
If this were a ranking, quarterback Sam Bradford would be at the top. He was a four-sport star at Putnam City North High School before signing with the Sooners as an underrated three-star recruit in the 2006 class. Thankfully, he was in the same state as the Sooners, or else he would have easily been overlooked coming from anywhere else.
In true Oklahoma representation, Bradford, a member of the Cherokee Nation, in 2008 became the first Native American to win the Heisman Trophy while also leading the Sooners to the 2009 BCS National Championship Game that same season. He was the top overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft before a nine-year career.
Read more: Sam Bradford has the coaching itch and John Mateer could be the biggest beneficiary
It doesn't get more local than wide receiver Ryan Broyles coming from down the road at Norman High School to play his college career in the same town, let alone state.
Broyles was another three-star recruit who could have easily been overlooked if not for being in the Sooners' own backyard. But thank goodness he wasn't. Broyles was a two-time All-American at OU while catching passes from Sam Bradford early on and broke the FBS career reception record.
A two-way standout at Fort Gibson High School, Teddy Lehman caught Stoops' attention at a camp and got to Norman just in time to be part of OU's legendary 2000 defense that vaulted the Sooners to a national title under Stoops. Lehman in 2003 won the Dick Butkus Award and Chuck Bednarik Award as a two-time All-American. He was also the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year that same season before being a second-round draft pick to the Detroit Lions.
Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was a highly touted five-star recruit in 2006 out of Southeast High School in Oklahoma City before turning down offers from all over the country to stay put and be a Sooner. He lived up to the hype as a two-time First-Team All-American and 2007 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. He was then the third overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft before having an even more successful pro career as a six-time Pro Bowler.
McCoy is the definition of Sooner bred and Sooner dead. He was famous for blasting "Boomer Sooner" at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' facility and still today uses social media to actively recruit top targets to improve his alma mater.
I KNOW the game is tomorrow but this was created to be the day before the game and since the game is tomorrow today has to be FIGHT SONG FRIDAY or THURSDAY!! WE ARE BACK BABY!! ITS FOOTBALL TIME IN OKLAHOMAAAAAAA!!! @OU_Football #BOOMER pic.twitter.com/14kiYAUqxv
— Gerald McCoy (@Geraldini93) August 29, 2024
From small-town Tuttle High School, quarterback Jason White became a Heisman Trophy winner in 2003 and was a two-time All-American. He was again a finalist in 2004 while also guiding the Sooners to the BCS National Championship Game. If not for teammate Adrian Peterson stealing the spotlight (and votes) as the Heisman runner-up, White might have won it back-to-back.
White was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
Add us as a preferred source on Google