The expectation level for the Oklahoma Sooners will be sky high when they return to the football field in the fall. One of the reasons for that is the return of several players in 2021. Kennedy Brooks will return after opting out of the 2020 campaign to resume his role as the starting running back. There is no bigger returning piece than quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Rattler was the Big 12’s leader in passing yards, completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns, and quarterback rating. Not a bad way to finish out your first season as the starter at quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, Rattler finished with the highest grade among all Big 12 quarterbacks.
PFF ranked their top 10 returning quarterbacks for 2021 with Rattler sitting firmly at the top.
There were some issues with his reads in the pocket, which we saw on game-sealing interceptions against Kansas State and Iowa State, but that shouldn’t cloud anyone’s judgment of the redshirt freshman. Rattler made throws out of the pocket on the run that very few can make. In fact, his 92.1 passing grade outside the pocket was nearly six grading points higher than any other college quarterback. And let’s not forget that his receiving unit didn’t help matters — Rattler had seven big-time throws that were dropped this season, the most any college quarterback has had to endure in a season since 2014.
Top-10 QBs returning to CFB (@PFF_Anthony): pic.twitter.com/xeWxccAekR
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) February 3, 2021
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Rattler is definitely the quarterback to watch in the 2021 college football season. He just might be the latest quarterback coached by Lincoln Riley to find himself as a Heisman finalist by seasons end.