I’ll start by saying this up front — this has been the hardest Mount Rushmore of QBs to put together thus far. Oklahoma has produced 7 Heisman Trophy winners over the years and 4 of them played quarterback.
So just put all 4 Heisman winners on the Mount Rushmore, right?
If only it were that simple.
I left 1 Heisman Trophy winner off my list. I also left Landry Jones, the school’s all-time leader in pass yards, pass TDs, 300-yard games, 400-yard games and more, off the list.
That’s how deep the Sooners are at the QB position. So who did I choose? Well, keep scrolling below to find my Oklahoma QB Mount Rushmore, which coincides with Oklahoma Takeover Day on the SEC Network.
Here’s a look back at all the QB Mount Rushmore pieces we’ve done so far as we get closer to the start of SEC Media Days on Monday, July 14:
And now, the Oklahoma Sooners’ Mount Rushmore of QBs:
Baker Mayfield (2015-17)
Baker Mayfield went from overlooked walk-on at Texas Tech to absolute superstar at Oklahoma, where he won the 2017 Heisman Trophy and became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
His numbers in 3 years as the Sooners’ starter are mind-boggling — 12,292 pass yards, 119 pass TDs, only 21 interceptions, a 69.8% completion percentage. He was absolutely elite during his time in Norman, and if he had played all 4 years for Oklahoma, it’d be his name, not Landry Jones’s, atop the Sooners’ record book in most passing categories.
Mayfield led the Sooners to 2 College Football Playoff appearances in 2015 and 2017. They lost to Clemson in the 2015 Orange Bowl CFP semifinal and fell to Georgia in the 2017 Rose Bowl semifinal in double-overtime in one of the most-thrilling Playoff games ever. Mayfield also led the Sooners to 3-straight Big 12 titles.
Sam Bradford (2007-09)
Bradford was one of the most-accurate passers in Oklahoma football history. His 2008 season, after which he won the Heisman Trophy, was simply incredible. His 50 touchdown passes led the nation that year and are still the most an Oklahoma QB has ever thrown for in a single season.
He suffered an injury that cut his 2009 season short (leading to Landry Jones taking over), but he cemented his Oklahoma legacy with a 12-1 season in 2008. The Sooners won the Big 12 title that year before falling short against Florida in the BCS National Championship Game.
Kyler Murray (2017-18)
Speaking of incredible individual seasons, Murray’s 2018 campaign was ridiculous. Not only did he throw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns, he also ran for 1,001 yards and 12 scores. He played well down the stretch, too, catching and overtaking Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa in the Heisman race.
His 5,362 total yards of offense in 2018 ranks No. 1 all-time at Oklahoma. Like Mayfield the year before him, Murray transferred to Oklahoma, won the Heisman and then became the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Much like Cam Newton at Auburn and Joe Burrow at LSU, Murray’s 1 absolutely brilliant season lands him on the all-time Mount Rushmore for his school.
Josh Heupel (1999-2000)
This was the toughest spot to choose. Jason White won the Heisman Trophy in 2003. Heupel is the only Oklahoma QB on this list who didn’t win the sport’s most-prestigious individual award. However, he did lead the Sooners to the 2000 national title, taking down Florida State 13-2 in the BCS National Championship Game.
Josh Heupel, now the head coach at Tennessee, finished second to FSU QB Chris Weinke in Heisman voting that year, gaining 1,552 total points in the voting compared to Weinke’s 1,628. Heupel garnered 286 first-place votes to Weinke’s 369.
But obviously Heupel got the last laugh, as his Vols took down the Seminoles in the Orange Bowl to win the national championship. That’s still Oklahoma’s most recent national title, so Heupel gets the nod here for that reason. He also finished his 2 years as Oklahoma’s QB1 with 6,852 pass yards, 50 pass TDs and 12 rush TDs. Not bad!
Honorable Mentions: Landry Jones, Jason White, Jack Mildren, Steve Davis
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
