2021 Oklahoma Sooners football team explained

Year:	2021
Team:	Oklahoma Sooners
Sport:	football
Conference:	Big 12 Conference
Short Conf:	Big 12
Coachrank:	10
Aprank:	10
Record:	11–2
Conf Record:	7–2
Head Coach:	Lincoln Riley
Hc Year:	5th
Hc Games:	regular season
Head Coach2:	Bob Stoops (interim; bowl game)
Cooff Coach1:	Cale Gundy
Cooc1 Year:	5th
Cooff Coach2:	Bill Bedenbaugh
Cooc2 Year:	5th
Off Scheme:	Air raid
Def Coach:	Alex Grinch
Dc Year:	3rd
Def Scheme:	3–4
Stadium:	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Champion:	Alamo Bowl champion
Bowl:	Alamo Bowl
Bowl Result:	W 47–32 vs. Oregon

The 2021 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 127th season for the Oklahoma Sooners. They played their home games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. They are a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. The team was led during the regular season by Lincoln Riley, in his fifth and final year as head coach.

Riley departed Oklahoma for USC on November 28. Former Sooners head coach Bob Stoops was named the interim head coach and led the team to their win in the Alamo Bowl.

Offseason

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Offseason departures

+ class="nowrap"	2021 Oklahoma offseason departures
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
	56	C	6’5	312	RS Junior		Declared for NFL Draft
	7	DE	6’3	247	Junior		Declared for NFL Draft
	13	CB	6'0	194	RS Junior		Declared for NFL Draft
	29	RB	6’0	245	Senior		Graduated/Declared for NFL Draft
	6	CB	5'10	188	Senior		Graduated/Declared for NFL Draft
Chanse Sylivie	28	CB	6’0	196	Senior		Graduated
Josh Schenk	36	LB	5’11	226	RS Senior		Graduated
Stephen Johnson	39	PK	6'1	186	RS Senior		Graduated
Obi Obailo	82	WR	6’3	218	RS Senior		Graduated

Recruiting

Transfers

Outgoing

The Oklahoma Sooners lost seventeen players via transfer portal for the 2021 season.

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	New school
Seth McGowan	1	RB		211lbs	Freshman		Butler CC
Theo Howard	2	WR		182lbs	RS Senior		Utah
	4	QB		175lbs	Freshman
T.J. Pledger	5	RB		193lbs	Junior		Utah
	14	WR		175lbs	RS Junior		Miami
	15	QB		211lbs	RS Sophomore		SMU
Robert Barnes	20	LB		232lbs	RS Junior
Eric Gallegos	34	DB		175lbs	RS Sophomore		TBD
Jon-Michael Terry	40	LB		245lbs	Senior
Brendan Radley-Hiles	44	DB		189lbs	Junior
Dane Saltarelli	49	TE		255lbs	RS Sophomore		Western Kentucky
Stacey Wilkins	72	OL		316lbs	RS Freshman		Louisiana-Monroe
E.J. Ndoma–Ogar	75	OL		333lbs	RS Freshman
Jalin Conyers	80	TE		228lbs	Freshman		Arizona State
	80	TE		247lbs	Junior		SMU
Kyre Richardson	84	WR		180lbs	Freshman	Tulsa, OK	TBD
Zacchaeus McKinney	98	DL		272lbs	RS Junior		Hawaii

Incoming

The Oklahoma Sooners add nine players via transfer portal from the 2020 season.

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Prev. school
	0	RB		205lbs	Junior		Tennessee
Kevontre Bradford	2	RB		190lbs	Junior		LSU
Micah Bowens	5	QB		190lbs	Freshman
	8	WR		196lbs	Junior		Arkansas
	12	DB		200lbs	Freshman		Tennessee
Josh Plaster	36	P/K		176lbs	RS Freshman
	64	OL		320lbs	Sophomore		Tennessee
Robert Congel	66	OL		310lbs	Junior		Arizona
	37	P		230lbs	RS Junior		Arizona State

Returning starters

Offense

Player	Class	Position
	RS Sophomore	Quarterback
Jeremiah Hall	RS Senior	Running back
Marvin Mims	Sophomore	Wide receiver
Austin Stogner	Junior	Tight end
Reference:

Defense

Player	Class	Position
Perrion Winfrey	Senior	Defensive end
Caleb Kelly	Grad Student	Linebacker
Caleb Murphy	Junior	Defensive back
Reference:

Special teams

Player	Class	Position
Gabe Brkic	RS Junior	Placekicker
Reeves Mundschau	RS Senior	Punter/Holder
Kasey Kelleher	RS Sr.	Long Snapper
Marvin Mims	Sophomore	Kickoff/Punt Returner
Reference:

† Indicates player was a starter in 2020 but missed all of 2021 due to injury.

2021 NFL draft

NFL Combine

See main article: 2021 NFL draft.

The official list of participants for the 2021 NFL Combine included Oklahoma football players: -

Team players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2021 NFL draft.

2	63		C	Kansas City Chiefs
3	96		DE	New England Patriots
4	120		RB	New England Patriots
4	137		CB	Seattle Seahawks

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Dodd Trophy^[1]	Lincoln Riley	HC	--
Maxwell Award^[2]	Spencer Rattler	QB	RS So.
	Marvin Mims	WR	So.
Bednarik Award^[3]	Nik Bonitto	LB	Jr.
	Isaiah Thomas	DE	Sr.
Davey O'Brien Award^[4]	Spencer Rattler	QB	RS So.
Doak Walker Award^[5]	Eric Gray	RB	Jr.
Fred Biletnikoff Award^[6]	Marvin Mims	WR	So.
	Michael Woods II	WR	Sr.
John Mackey Award^[7]	Austin Stogner	TE	Jr.
Butkus Award^[8]	Nik Bonitto	LB	RS Jr.
	Brian Asamoah II	LB	RS Jr.
Outland Trophy^[9]	Marquis Hayes	OL	RS Sr.
	Tyrese Robinson	OL	RS Sr.
	Perrion Winfrey	DL	Sr.
Bronko Nagurski Trophy^[10]	Isaiah Thomas	DE	Sr.
	Perrion Winfrey	DL	Sr.
Lou Groza Award^[11]	Gabe Brkic	K	RS Jr.
Paul Hornung Award^[12]	Marvin Mims	WR	So.
Wuerffel Trophy^[13]	Pat Fields	DB	Sr.
Walter Camp Award^[14]	Spencer Rattler	QB	RS So.
Manning Award^[15]	Spencer Rattler	QB	RS So.
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award^[16]	Kennedy Brooks	RB	RS Jr.
Ray Guy Award^[17]	Michael Turk	P	RS Jr.

Big 12 media poll

Big 12 media poll^[18]
1	Oklahoma	365 (35)
2	Iowa State	351 (4)
3	Texas	273
4	Oklahoma State	266
5	TCU	255
6	West Virginia	185
7	Kansas State	163
8	Baylor	124
9	Texas Tech	103
10	Kansas	39

Preseason awards

2021 Preseason All-Big 12^[19]

• Offensive player of the year: Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma
• Newcomer of the Year: Eric Gray, RB, Oklahoma

All-Big 12 Offense^[20] ! Position! Player! Class! Team

QB	Spencer Rattler	RS So.	Oklahoma
	Jeremiah Hall	Sr.	Oklahoma
WR	Marvin Mims	So.	Oklahoma
OL	Marquis Hayes	Sr.	Oklahoma
OL	Wanya Morris	Jr.	Oklahoma
PK	Gabe Brkic	Jr.	Oklahoma

All-Big 12 Defense! Position! Player! Class! Team

DL	Isaiah Thomas	Sr.	Oklahoma
DL	Perrion Winfrey	Sr.	Oklahoma
LB	Nik Bonitto	Jr.	Oklahoma

Schedule

See main article: 2021 Big 12 Conference football season.

Regular season

The 2021 schedule consisted of 7 home games, 4 away games and 1 neutral-site game in the regular season. The Sooners hosted 2 non-conference games against Western Carolina and Nebraska and was originally scheduled to travel to Tulane, but the effects of Hurricane Ida forced the game to be played in Oklahoma with Tulane still being the home team. Oklahoma hosted Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech, and West Virginia, and travelled to Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State in regular-season conference play. Oklahoma played Texas in Dallas, Texas at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in the Red River Showdown, the 116th game played in the series.^[21]

Personnel

Coaching staff

	Head Coach / Quarterbacks	Texas Tech (2006)	2015/2017
	Defensive Coordinator / Safeties	Mount Union (2002)	2019
	Outside linebackers / Defensive Ends	New Mexico State (2002)	2020
	Assistant Head Coach for Offense / Tight Ends and H-Backs	Oklahoma (2008)	2021
	Co-Offensive Coordinator / Recruiting Coordinator / Inside Receivers		Oklahoma (1994)	1999
	Co-Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line	Iowa Wesleyan (1995)	2013
	Cornerbacks	Michigan (2004)	2019
	Running backs	Oklahoma (2010)	2020
	Inside Linebackers	SE Oklahoma State (2004)	2019
Dennis Simmons	Assistant Head Coach/Passing Game Coordinator / Outside Receivers	BYU (1997)	2015
Calvin Thibodeaux	Defensive line	Oklahoma (2006)	2016

Graduate assistants

Analysts

Injury report

Game summaries

At Tulane

Statistics	OKLA	TULANE
First downs	24	24
Total yards	430	396
Rushes/yards	35-116	32-100
Passing yards	314	296
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	31-40-2	27-45
Time of possession	33:23	26:37

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing		30/39, 314 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing		14 carries, 87 yards, 1 TD
Receiving		6 receptions, 37 yards, 1 TD
Tulane	Passing		27/44, 296 yards, 3 TD
Rushing	Michael Pratt	15 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD
Receiving	Tyrick James	6 receptions, 93 yards

Vs. Western Carolina

See also: 2021 Western Carolina Catamounts football team.

Statistics	WCU	OKLA
First downs	11	31
Total yards	178	624
Rushes/yards	27-55	38-227
Passing yards	123	347
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	21-36-1	27-38
Time of possession	27:01	32:59

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing	Rogan Wells	16/29, 86 yards
Rushing	Carlos Davis	3 carries, 27 yards
Receiving	Kenny Benjamin	6 receptions, 34 yards
Oklahoma	Passing	Spencer Rattler	20/26, 243 yards, 5 TD's
Rushing		9 carries, 74 yards
Receiving	Mario Williams	4 receptions, 49 yards, 1 TD

Vs. Nebraska

See also: 2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and Nebraska–Oklahoma football rivalry.

Statistics	NEB	OKLA
First downs	18	21
Total yards	384	408
Rushes/yards	38-95	35-194
Passing yards	289	214
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	19-25-1	24-34
Time of possession	29:10	30:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing		19/25, 289 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing	Rahmiir Johnson	11 carries, 42 yards
Receiving		6 receptions, 43 yards
Oklahoma	Passing	Spencer Rattler	24/34, 214 yards, 1 TD
Rushing	Eric Gray	15 carries, 84 yards
Receiving		6 receptions, 61 yards

vs West Virginia

See also: 2021 West Virginia Mountaineers football team.

Statistics	WVU	OKLA
First downs	18	19
Total yards	226	313
Rushes/yards	29-47	28-57
Passing yards	179	256
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	23-34-1	26-36-1
Time of possession	33:00	27:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Virginia	Passing		20/29, 160 yards, 1 INT
Rushing		15 carries, 56 yards
Receiving		8 receptions, 93 yards
Oklahoma	Passing	Spencer Rattler	26/36, 256 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing	Eric Gray	12 carries, 38 yards
Receiving		8 receptions, 86 yards

At Kansas State

See also: 2021 Kansas State Wildcats football team.

Statistics	OKLA	KSU
First downs	22	22
Total yards	392	420
Rushes/yards	32-131	27-100
Passing yards	261	320
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	23-28-1	29-41
Time of possession	27:18	32:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing	Spencer Rattler	22/25, 243 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT
Rushing	Kennedy Brooks	15 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD
Receiving		4 receptions, 71 yards
Kansas State	Passing		29/41, 320 yards, 3 TD's
Rushing		15 carries, 51 yards
Receiving	Deuce Vaughn	10 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD

Vs. No. 21 Texas

See also: 2021 Texas Longhorns football team and Red River Showdown.

Statistics	OKLA	TEX
First downs	26	19
Total yards	662	516
Rushes/yards	41/339	27/128
Passing yards	323	388
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24-40-1	20-34
Time of possession	35:23	24:37

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing		15/24, 211 yards, 2 TD's
Rushing	Kennedy Brooks	25 carries, 217 yards, 2 TD's
Receiving	Marvin Mims	5 receptions, 136 yards, 2 TD's
Texas	Passing		20/34, 388 yards, 5 TD's
Rushing		20 carries, 137 yards, 1 TD
Receiving		9 receptions, 261 yards, 2 TD's

Vs. TCU

See also: 2021 TCU Horned Frogs football team.

Statistics	TCU	OKLA
First downs	21	25
Total yards	519	525
Rushes/yards	37-183	35-230
Passing yards	336	295
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	20-36	18-23
Time of possession	29:13	30:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
TCU	Passing		20/32, 336 yards, 4 TD's
Rushing		7 carries, 57 yards
Receiving		7 receptions, 185 yards, 3 TD's
Oklahoma	Passing	Caleb Williams	18/23, 295 yards, 4 TD's
Rushing	Kennedy Brooks	20 carries, 153 yards, 1 TD
Receiving	Jadon Haselwood	6 receptions, 56 yards, 3 TD's

At Kansas

See also: 2021 Kansas Jayhawks football team.

Statistics	OKLA	KAN
First downs	18	23
Total yards	398	412
Rushes/yards	34-220	42-166
Passing yards	178	246
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	15-20-1	17-23
Time of possession	24:30	35:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing	Caleb Williams	15/20, 178 yards, 2 TD's 1 INT
Rushing	Kennedy Brooks	24 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD's
Receiving	Eric Gray	3 receptions, 42 yards
Kansas	Passing		17/23, 246 yards, 1 TD
Rushing		23 carries, 100 yards, 2 TD's
Receiving		7 receptions, 101 yards

Vs. Texas Tech

See also: 2021 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team.

Statistics	TTU	OKLA
First downs	22	26
Total yards	373	541
Rushes/yards	32-104	20-72
Passing yards	269	469
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24-34-2	28-35
Time of possession	33:24	26:36

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas Tech	Passing		17/22, 192 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing	Xavier White	10 carries, 42 yards, 1 TD
Receiving		8 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD
Oklahoma	Passing	Caleb Williams	23/30, 402 yards, 6 TD's
Rushing	Kennedy Brooks	8 carries, 35 yards
Receiving	Mario Williams	5 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD

At No. 13 Baylor

See also: 2021 Baylor Bears football team.

Statistics	OKLA	BU
First downs	17	24
Total yards	260	414
Rushes/yards	28/78	27/297
Passing yards	182	117
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	14–25–2	12–21–1
Time of possession	24:41	35:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing	Caleb Williams	10–19, 146 yards, 2 INT
Rushing	Kennedy Brooks	13 carries, 51 yards, 1 TD
Receiving	Michael Woods II	4 receptions, 53 yards
Baylor	Passing		12–21, 117 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing		20 carries, 148 yards
Receiving		4 receptions, 41 yards, 1 TD

Vs. Iowa State

See also: 2021 Iowa State Cyclones football team.

Statistics	ISU	OKLA
First downs	25	14
Total yards	361	305
Rushes/yards	35/51	34/209
Passing yards	310	96
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	35-52-2	9-19-1
Time of possession	38:20	21:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa State	Passing		30/41, 281 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing		19 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD
Receiving		12 receptions, 152 yards, 1 TD
Oklahoma	Passing	Caleb Williams	8/18, 87 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing	Kennedy Brooks	17 carries, 115 yards
Receiving	Mario Williams	2 receptions, 18 yards, 1 TD

At No. 7 Oklahoma State

See also: 2021 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team and Bedlam Series.

Statistics	OKLA	OKST
First downs	21	21
Total yards	441	354
Rushes/yards	44/189	36/140
Passing yards	252	214
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	20-39	19-30-2
Time of possession	35:41	24:02

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma	Passing	Caleb Williams	20/39, 252 yards, 3 TD's
Rushing	Kennedy Brooks	22 carries, 139 yards
Receiving		4 receptions, 76 yards
Oklahoma State	Passing		19/30, 214 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT's
Rushing	Spencer Sanders	16 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
Receiving		7 receptions, 89 yards, 1 TD

Vs. Oregon (2021 Alamo Bowl)

Statistics	ORE	OKLA
First downs	26	27
Total yards	497	560
Rushes/yards	33/191	42/318
Passing yards	306	242
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	27-40-1	21-27
Time of possession	26:26	33:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oregon	Passing		27/40, 306 yards, 3 TD's 1 INT
Rushing		18 carries, 153 yards, 1 TD
Receiving		6 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD
Oklahoma	Passing	Caleb Williams	21/27, 242 yards, 3 TD's
Rushing	Kennedy Brooks	14 carries, 142 yards, 3 TD's
Receiving	Eric Gray	5 receptions, 25 yards, 1 TD

Statistics

Scoring

Scores by quarter (non-conference opponents)

Scores by quarter (Big 12 opponents)

Scores by quarter (All opponents)

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2021 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List Announced . July 13, 2021. July 13, 2021.
2. Web site: 2021 Maxwell Award Watch List – Maxwell Football Club. 19 July 2021.
3. Web site: 2021 Bednarik Award Watch List – Maxwell Football Club. 19 July 2021.
4. Web site: Davey O’Brien Award Announces 30-Player Preseason Watch List. July 20, 2021. July 20, 2021.
5. Web site: 2021 Doak Walker Award Candidates. July 21, 2021. www.smu.eduaccess-date=July 21, 2021.
6. Web site: 2021 Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List Released. July 22, 2021. July 22, 2021.
7. Web site: 2021 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released. July 23, 2021. July 23, 2021.
8. Web site: 2020 Butkus Award Preseason Watch List Released. July 26, 2021. July 26, 2021. August 20, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100820080704/http://www.thebutkusaward.com/watchlist/view.aspx?t=c. dead.
9. Web site: 2021 Outland Trophy Award Watchlist Unveiled. July 27, 2021. July 27, 2021.
10. Web site: 2021 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watchlist Unveiled. July 27, 2021. July 27, 2021.
11. Web site: Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2021 Preseason Watch List. July 28, 2021. July 28, 2021.
12. Web site: 57 PLAYERS NAMED TO 2021 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST. July 29, 2021. July 29, 2021. July 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210729150819/https://www.louisvillesports.org/ph-article/57-players-named-to-2021-paul-hornung-award-watch-list/. dead.
13. Web site: Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2021 Watch List. July 29, 2021. July 29, 2021.
14. Web site: Walter Camp Foundation Announces 2021 Player of the Year Preseason Watch List. July 30, 2021. July 30, 2021.
15. Web site: Allstate Sugar Bowl announces Manning Award Watch List. August 5, 2021. August 5, 2021.
16. Web site: Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award announces 2021 Preseason Watch List . August 5, 2021. August 5, 2021.
17. Web site: Ray Guy Award announces 2021 Preseason Watch List . August 13, 2021. August 13, 2021.
18. Web site: Oklahoma Tops Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll . big12sports.com.
19. Web site: Media Preseason Football Team Announced. big12sports.com. Big 12 Conference. July 7, 2021. July 7, 2021.
20. Web site: Big 12 Announces Media Preseason Football Team. big12sports.com. Big 12 Conference. July 7, 2021. July 7, 2021.
21. Web site: 2021 Oklahoma Sooners Football Schedule . FB Schedules . February 7, 2021.