RATTLER CATCHING UP
Freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler is gaining momentum in Oklahoma's quarterback competition
NORMAN — Spencer Rattler will almost certainly not be named Oklahoma's starting quarterback, but coach Lincoln Riley said Tuesday that he's at least involved in the competition with Jalen Hurts and Tanner Mordecai.
“He's done a nice job,” Riley said of the true freshman. “He's a very gifted thrower. He's, more than anybody, just kind of in a race against time, having not been here in the spring. You can certainly tell that the other two were here for spring.”
Rattler's five-star status coming out of Pinnacle High School in Phoenix isn't enough to overcome the time he missed by not being an early enrollee.
Hurts had a six-month head start on him after arriving in mid-January from Alabama. Mordecai has spent a whole season in Riley's offense.
But Rattler seems to be catching up.
“He's gaining on — not necessarily gaining on Jalen or gaining on Tanner — but just gaining on getting to the point where he can execute and communicate everything that we want him to,” Riley said. “He's a quick study.
“And one thing I have appreciated about the kid, even though he wasn't here for spring, he's not afraid of the moment. He thinks he should be right in the middle of it, which you know, you better believe that. And he certainly has that self-confidence.”
Hurts is still the heavy favorite to be named OU's starter. The announcement will likely come next week.
Favorites emerge at safety
The Oklahoma safety competition is sorting itself out.
Sophomores Patrick Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell have emerged as the two favorites to start Sept. 1 against Houston.
“Wish there was more competition,” first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said Monday. “We kind of have two guys in Delarrin and Pat that kind of established themselves at this point.”
Neither Fields nor TurnerYell have experience on their side. They have just 25 tackles and zero starts between them.
Fields, from Tulsa Union, played in six games last season. He recorded 13 tackles, eight of which came in the Orange Bowl against Alabama.
Turner-Yell played in seven of OU's final eight games after missing the first six due to injury. He recorded 12 tackles.
Junior Robert Barnes and sophomore Justin Broiles are other candidates behind Fields and Turner-Yell to factor into the safety competition. Barnes started eight games last season. Broiles started five.
“We need some guys from that second group, third group,” Grinch said. “Really, depth chart wise, if you're not a one, you're a two. You're going to have an opportunity to compete.”
Late arrival
Oklahoma released an updated roster Monday night,
and it included a new name at safety. Austin Jackson, who played the last two seasons at Clemson, has arrived in Norman as a graduate transfer.
The Cary, North Carolina, native committed to East Tennessee State out of high school. He recorded 32 tackles in his freshman season, and then transferred to Clemson.
Jackson redshirted in 2016 and played in just four games for the Tigers over the last two seasons. He played three snaps against N.C. State last year and on special teams against Pittsburgh.
Jackson graduated in May
with a degree in management. He'll be immediately eligible to play this season at OU. He's listed at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds.
“Got a chance to watch him a little bit and was somebody that we were intrigued enough to bring in,” Riley said Tuesday.
“It was something that worked out just here in about the last week. Got him in and got him going. So we'll see what he's about. Haven't had a chance to be around him a ton, but he's got some great experience and certainly looks the part coming in here.”