Oklahoma fans will get to see three quarterbacks battle for the starting nod Saturday during the annual spring game in Norman.
Jalen Hurts graduated from Alabama in December with one year of eligibility left. Under the graduate transfer rules, he is immediately eligible at OU. In high school, he was rated the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback by 247Sports.
At Alabama, he started as a freshman and had an overall record of 26-2 in 2016 and 2017. He played in 13 games last season as a backup for Tua Tagovailoa, a Heisman Trophy finalist.
In his career, Hurts hit 63 percent of his passes for 48 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. He also rushed 381 times for 1,976 yards and 23 touchdowns.
As far as the public knows, Hurts will be the starter.
“I understand that this is a place that has a ton of great tradition and a history of a lot of success in a lot of different areas,” said Hurts. “I know that for this team, this year, what we kind of want to do is create a new standard for ourselves, a standard that consists of having a tenacious mentality, a relentless approach in what we are doing and having the will of not being denied.
“I’m a firm believer in that if we can continue to practice the same habits, nine times out of 10, we will get the same results.”
OU coach Lincoln Riley played a big role in attracting Hurts to transfer.
“Coach Riley has done an exceptional job thus far since I have been here,” Hurts said. “His leadership, setting the foundation of how things should be, in the end, to achieve more, you have to evaluate yourself. You have to have an unselfish assessment so you can do the things you want to do.”
After four years in tradition rich Alabama, Hurts wanted to play for a team that could achieve high goals.
“For this team this year, a national championship in 2000, however many Heismans there have been over the years, my past, the things that I have done and seen, those will help us win games in the fall,” Hurts said “I think the biggest thing is to create an identity for ourselves and finding out who we are as a team.”
Hurts, the son of a football coach, said he was glad to have the experience at Alabama and grateful for the opportunity to repeat that at OU.
Hurts came to an OU program that has produced back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners (Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray).
“You can’t look back in history and say that has happened ever,” Hurts said. “All of it. The whole scenario. You probably won’t be able to say it will ever happen again. This whole situation is unique.
“I think I clearly understood what I got myself into. But I also know I have expectations for myself. I have always been my biggest critic.”
How is the atmosphere at OU different than Alabama?
“It’s always different. Nothing’s ever the same,” Hurts said. “It’s not about the past. It’s about what we are going to do together as a team.’
Hurts said he has quickly acclimated to OU and the Sooner coaches, especially Riley.
“I think we are on track,” Hurts said. ”The biggest thing is that relationship because I am only here for a short time.”
This will be the fifth offensive coordinator for Hurts – four at Alabama and one (Riley) at OU.
“If we execute what we’ve got to do, we are going to be good,” Hurts said. “I am becoming comfortable in the system.
“Coach Riley has been very up front and honest with everything and, ultimately, we’ve got to go to work.”
Hurts was asked about Nick Saban versus Lincoln Riley. Saban is almost twice as old as Riley and has been a head coach for decades. Riley is starting his third season as OU head coach.
“They are both great coaches,” Hurts said. “They both want nothing but that high standard of play.”
Even though he is new, Riley has encouraged Hurts to be a vocal communicator with his teammates.
Tanner Mordecai, a redshirt freshman, saw limited action as a back up to Kyler Murray last season. Thanks to the new redshirt rule, those games didn’t cost him a year of eligibility. He was one of OU’s scout team players of the year.
From Waco, Texas, he was a four-star recruit and the one of the top 150 players in the nation. In high school, he passed for 4,797 yards with 51 touchdown passes and only 13 interceptions (334 completions out of 567 attempts). He had offers from Georgia, Oklahoma State, Mississippi and others.
Mordecai has learned a lot from 2017 Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and 2018 Heisman winner Kyler Murray.
“I was lucky to be behind Kyler and see how he does things,” Mordecai said.
Mordecai is very competitive but he understands the value of playing experience.
“(Hurt’s) been to the national championship and won a lot of games. I have the utmost respect for that, for sure,” Mordecai said. “I’m just trying to win over the team, as he is. Spring ball is that platform right now. I try to go out there and perform.
Mordecai said OU has higher standards for quarterbacks than anybody else.
“We have to keep that standard,” Mordecai said. “I can learn from other guys and learn from my competition.”.
Mordecai said he has thought about how Baker Mayfield transferred in and beat out Trevor Knight just after Knight defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
“I’m trying to put my best foot forward as well and compete every day this spring,” Mordecai said.
Walk-on quarterback Tanner Schafer, a redshirt junior, was a star in high school in Canadian, Texas.
He was 31-0 as a starter in high school and passed for 7,900 yards in two seasons. He made 77 percent of his passes with only two interceptions. He had scholarship offers from Tulsa and Ohio but chose to walk on at OU.
Incoming freshman Spencer Rattler heads to Norman this summer. Rattler was rated the No. 1 quarterback in the nation by some publications.
The kickoff for the spring game is 3 p.m. Gates open at noon and Country singer Lee Brice will give a concert at 1:30 p.m.