Heading into what many think will be a title contending season for the Oklahoma Sooners, they’ve got talent across the board that rivals any team in the country. Leading the way are Spencer Rattler and Nik Bonitto, stars who broke out in a big way in 2020 as the Sooners rallied in conference play to win their sixth-straight Big 12 Championship.
With just two weeks until Oklahoma begins its march to the College Football Playoff, it will take big years again from Rattler and Bonitto to find them playing meaningful football come January.
The Sooners will require a team effort, but Rattler and Bonitto are two of what Bill Connely of ESPN calls the most important players in college football.
While he makes it a top 25 list, Connely breaks it up into sub-groups instead of ranking simply ranking them.
Guys with Ndamukong Suh, Pure Transcendence Potential
This group is made up of players who have splashed but Connely feels like they could go to another level.
Nik Bonitto broke out in a big way in 2020, and while it creates lofty expectations to think Bonitto can take another step forward, he’s got the talent and production to prove it.
Connely says:
As a sophomore rush end, Bonitto generated the highest pressure rate in the country, recorded eight sacks and forced 21 incompletions. Any improvement whatsoever might make him the scariest pass rusher in the country in one of the most havoc-friendly defensive schemes in the country. OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is one of the most aggressive play-callers you’ll see, and Bonitto and tackles Isaiah Thomas and Jalen Redmond turn risk into reward at an alarming rate. – Connely
With a strong 2021 campaign Nik Bonitto can ascend to one of college football’s greatest players. His balance of burst and power make him near unblockable. He’s a threat to get into the backfield on every snap and will be contending for every major defensive award by the end of the 2021 season.
Quarterbacks with a potential game-changing leap in them
Spencer Rattler showed a lot of great things in 2021. And at the same time, with Heisman Trophy expectations, it was a bit of a let down.
He rebounded from some early-season miscues to play near flawless football down the stretch as the Sooners won their seventh straight Big 12 championship.
Here’s what Connely had to say:
Fourth, third, first, first, second. That’s where OU quarterbacks ranked in the Heisman voting from 2015-19 before Lincoln Riley handed the reins to a redshirt freshman last fall. And now that he has had a year to gain his footing, we’re assuming great things from Rattler in 2021. With the supporting cast around him — receivers Marvin Mims and Theo Wease, running back Kennedy Brooks, a couple of key transfers and one of the nation’s best lines — it’s hard not to see him as a Heisman favorite. – Connely
Spencer Rattler has a shot to be the next transcendent quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. Yet again, a Heisman Trophy favorite, Rattler needs to put together a complete season for the Oklahoma Sooners to contend for a national title.