For the last three years there has been but one “Quarterback University” also known as QBU. That has been the University of Oklahoma. Since 1998, OU has had four QBs win the Heisman: Jason White, Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Jalen Hurts was a finalist in 2019 and Caleb Williams… we’ll get to that.
The tradition of great QBs in Norman didnt’t start with Lincoln Riley and hasn’t skipped a beat after his departure. The Sooners moved quickly to sign freshman Nick Evers and land UCF QB Dillon Gabriel out of the transfer portal to run Jeff Lebby’s offense. Coming in 2023 is five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold, the first commitment of the Brent Venables era in the 2023 class.
David Hale of ESPN put together his “Position U” rankings, and while Oklahoma ranked quite well across the board, QBU was their only top ranking.
Here are Hale’s top five at quarterback schools:
1. Oklahoma
2. USC
3. Oregon
4. Alabama
5. LouisvilleOklahoma remains QBU for the third straight year, but the Sooners are now treading into uncharted waters. Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams have both transferred, and Lincoln Riley — the QB whisperer who helped build Oklahoma into QBU — is off to USC (which, it should be noted, is a close second on this list). Will Dillon Gabriel add to Oklahoma’s long tradition of elite QBs? Can Brent Venables keep recruiting future stars? Or will Riley not only stun the Sooners’ fan base by leaving but also by stealing their crown as the top producer of quarterback talent? – Hale, ESPN
Hale only considered players that planted from 1998 to the present. USC landing at No. 2 may be an unpleasant sight, but they do have their fair share of QB talent: Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez and Sam Darnold all come to mind.
The rest of the top five schools all boast at least won QB that won a Heisman, but OU is the only one with four.
While Lincoln Riley was the head coach when Mayfield and Murray won the Heisman, he still hasn’t developed a starting QB that he recruited out of high school. Caleb Williams could end up being that guy, but Riley has won a lot of football games on the back, or the arm in this case, of transfers. Spencer Rattler definitely didn’t develop like he was supposed to under Riley.
In case you were wondering, according to these rankings Texas isn’t DBU, despite what their Twitter bio says.
As the new coaching staff keeps racking up commitments, keep an eye on Oklahoma to move up this list in the next few years. DLU and LBU could have a new home very soon with Brent Venables at the helm for the Oklahoma Sooners.
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