Who was your favorite player who didn't live up to the hype?
- Thread starter BawlzDeep
- Start date
Joe Don Looney, 1962-63.
Then, Dupree, 1982-83.
Then Bomar, 2005.
Then, Dupree, 1982-83.
Then Bomar, 2005.
I've wondered what Rawls would have done had he not fallen off that truck.
Not sure if this would qualify, but Joe Wylie. He was co soph of the year in the Big 8, but then after an injury against USC in game three he junior year, he was never really the same, though he did make some terrific plays, particular on a couple of punt returns. He became the other back, when Greg Pruitt exploded about the same time Joe got hurt.
Only because he didn't get the chance because of the car wreck, but I'm going with Andre Johnson.
Of course, Marcus was the biggest all time disappointment for the program; however, I also remember all the hype about the kid from Ada High School that was a sure fire, can't miss Wishbone quarterback that John Blake was going to bring back the bone with......Brandon Daniels. Fans all around the state were peeing all over themselves ready for OU to revive the Wishbone again, including Barry Switzer, and Blake thought he had the perfect guy to run his offense. I remember all the excitement when news came out of the OU camp how exciting Daniels was as he ran up and down the field during practices. Something was wrong....because, Man, you talk about a let down. To his credit, Brandon turned out to be an asset and ended up having a good career after Bob Stoops moved him to WR and special teams returning KOs his senior year.
Jermie Calhoun sticks out to me considering he went from being the #1 RB recruit in the country to being passed on the depth chart by walk-on Dominique Whaley (among about 5 other running backs) and transferring in the span of a couple seasons.
Josh Jarboe and Rhett Bomar stick out as well. Throw Brent Rawls in there just because of the goofy ass way that his star faded.
Josh Jarboe and Rhett Bomar stick out as well. Throw Brent Rawls in there just because of the goofy ass way that his star faded.
I watched the 30 for 30 program about Marcus again today....which makes about a dozen times......and at the end of the program I felt the same way as always. How frickin' dumb was everybody in Philadelphia, Mississippi to let him get hosed by that damn preacher, and where was his high school coach during his recruitment. Any coach worth his salt that had the best ever high school back would find some way to get to know what Marcus really wanted and help him. He should have just gone to school in Mississippi where his friends and family could have babysit his ass. What a waste.
to take it a step further, what it would have been like having a healthy Wylie and Pruitt in the same backfield. 1971 NC???
Roy Bell wasn't bad, and he split time with Wylie at left halfback with various percentages of playing time in '71. I saw some footage of the 1971 RRR, and Roy made some plays. In fact, the 1969 RRR is on the LHN a good bit and in the first half, Roy made some plays as a soph. His junior year, he had turf toe and none of us had heard of it, and didn't understand how hard it was to play with. But when he was healthy, he was a very good college running back.
Wylie got most of the attention until he got hurt. And it opened up some space for Gregory D until after that year's Red October and then the record breaking trip to Manhattan. Wylie was such an incredible all around athlete. He might have been a world class decathlete if somebody he turned him in that direction early. In high school, he was a state class intermediate hurdler and discus thrower. But the way he was built, had he lived these days, somebody would have made him a spread quarterback. He'd likely have been great at it. He threw halfback passes some in practice and more than a little in high school games. He was a terrific punter. And of course, he made straight A's for four years at OU. Maybe even four and a half. So he was really smart.
His senior year, it was pretty well understood that he wouldn't be an NFL running back, so he took turns as a wide receiver some in practice and just on potential, the Raiders took him, I believe in the fourth round. Of all the mismatches, but Al Davis thought that way.
Wylie got most of the attention until he got hurt. And it opened up some space for Gregory D until after that year's Red October and then the record breaking trip to Manhattan. Wylie was such an incredible all around athlete. He might have been a world class decathlete if somebody he turned him in that direction early. In high school, he was a state class intermediate hurdler and discus thrower. But the way he was built, had he lived these days, somebody would have made him a spread quarterback. He'd likely have been great at it. He threw halfback passes some in practice and more than a little in high school games. He was a terrific punter. And of course, he made straight A's for four years at OU. Maybe even four and a half. So he was really smart.
His senior year, it was pretty well understood that he wouldn't be an NFL running back, so he took turns as a wide receiver some in practice and just on potential, the Raiders took him, I believe in the fourth round. Of all the mismatches, but Al Davis thought that way.
Soonersincefitty
Sooner starter
Dupree of course...damn that guy.
He could have easily won two Heismans. Like a walk in the park.
Jermie Calhoun clearly couldn't get his work ethic going ever.
All the aforementioned quarterbacks of course. Bomar especially.
I remember wanting to physically strangle that guy for that big red caper.
He could have easily won two Heismans. Like a walk in the park.
Jermie Calhoun clearly couldn't get his work ethic going ever.
All the aforementioned quarterbacks of course. Bomar especially.
I remember wanting to physically strangle that guy for that big red caper.
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Bosworth.......
Now the Boz, a different story......
I agree on Kerry Jackson. Why did we change his transcripts and go on probation for that career?.........
Now the Boz, a different story......I agree on Kerry Jackson. Why did we change his transcripts and go on probation for that career?.........
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Rod Pegues was an very good wishbone QB, but couldn't beat out Shepard and Phelps after Watts left in 1980.Bosworth.......
I agree on Kerry Jackson. Why did we change his transcripts and go on probation for that career?.........
Tommy Pannell came to OU as a highly touted QB from Norman but never really made a name for himself at the position. He had some good moments on the field and ultimately moved to halfback his senior year in 1965.
Bosworth.......
I agree on Kerry Jackson. Why did we change his transcripts and go on probation for that career?.........
Jackson was not even the top quarterback in his class. That was Scott Hill, who messed up his shoulder in a preseason scrimmage, dropped out before the semester started, then returned as a safety five months later.
OU did n.ot change the transcript. The asst principal at Galveston Ball did. My guess is that OUs staff knew about it but since somebody else did it, looked the other way. An OU football player who was a year behind me told me that an OU coach told him, that the specific infraction did not merit a two year probation with two years of tv sanctions, and both sides knew it. But that one particular NCAA inverstigator knew stuff about other violations that he could not prove, so they threw the book at us for the one they could prove.
I also heard it was a payback for the OU\Georgia lawsuit on TV rights. I knew the HS changed it and yes we knew it. I forgot which coach took the fall.
BTW, this thread got me to thinking about the six Q-b's that were on the roster at that time. Steve Davis won the job and the rest is history. Maybe you could reply or even start another thread naming the other five.........
I'm thinking Joe McReynolds and Dean Blevins would have been two of them around that time
I do not think that lawsuit happened for at least 5 years after the probation. Kerry was a true freshman the first year of varsity freshmen eligibility in 1972. He was pulled off the practice field in April 1973. Maybe late March. I do not think the lawsuit started before the late 70s or early 80s.
No Blevins or McReynolds. The guys in the Davis class were freshmen in 1971 who all redshirted in 1972. Gary Vorpahl, Jeff Mabry, E. N. Simon, Larry McBroom and a couple others. One was I think from Tulsa Memorial and split time with Steve on the Boomers in 1971, but did not hang around. I do not remember his name. There were 7 quarterbacks in the 71 class, recruited to try to replace Jack Mildren. Jackson and Hill were the only two in the 72 class.
Back then, you could have over 40 in a recruiting class and there were no national limits, and a player could sign more than one LOI. The limitations only came from the conference. So you could sign a Big 8 lot, an SWC loi and any other conference. I remember on UHouston class had 70 in it. They were independent, like Notre Dame.
Back then, you could have over 40 in a recruiting class and there were no national limits, and a player could sign more than one LOI. The limitations only came from the conference. So you could sign a Big 8 lot, an SWC loi and any other conference. I remember on UHouston class had 70 in it. They were independent, like Notre Dame.
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Soonersincefitty
Sooner starter
Per Soonerstats.com, Blevins, Davis, Kerry Jackson, Jeff Mabrey and Joe McReynolds are all listed QBs on the roster in 1974.
Man, lots of guys on the team back then...like 140.
Okay, maybe I was thinking about the early 80's probation. I knew the NCAA was pissed...
I've read where Steve Davis was a last second offer, the final ship........Don't know if it's true.
I graduated in the spring of 1973. Mabry, Jackson and Davis had been recruited in the previous two years. McReynolds and Blevins did not arrive until after Kerry was suspended, then injured in a car wreck in the summer of 73. So even had he been eligible, he could not have played. Blevins and McReynolds may have been his teammates later, but 1974 would have been his third year. I do not know Mcs or blevins specific class, but they were behind Kerry.
Stories get mixed around, but I don't think it was Steve. I was always told it was Rod Shoate, who was lightly recruited from Spiro. But the story about Davis could be true. It's no less likely than a second team All American quarterback who walked on at two schools.
Blake Bell....as a QB. He came out of high school as a BIG TIME recruit with a ton of potential. I think most were drooling at the thought of him taking over as QB when Landry left and the sky was the limit. The Belldozer put him on the national map, and everyone couldn't wait to combine that with his unbelievable arm. I think most expected the QB battle really wasn't a battle at all, and everyone expected Blake to get the keys to the offense. But he didn't, which was just an unbelievable turn of events I think for most all Sooner fans. He had some flashes here and there during times when Trevor was injured, but wow he never even came close to living up to the hype as a QB that about the entire Sooner fanbase had expected.
But what makes Blake my favorite in regards to this thread topic, is he turned out to be an INCREDIBLE team player. There may be guys out there that are as good a team player as Blake Bell, but there are none that can be better. He defined that description. Then, his senior year he makes the move to TE and in such a short amount of time was able to impress enough to make the 49ers roster and is now playing in the NFL as a TE.
That really is just a story that is worthy of a movie. His career turned out to be HUGELY different than everyone thought when he came out of high school, yet he didn't give up, he redefined himself, and was able to step up and make sure he took his talents to the next level.
But what makes Blake my favorite in regards to this thread topic, is he turned out to be an INCREDIBLE team player. There may be guys out there that are as good a team player as Blake Bell, but there are none that can be better. He defined that description. Then, his senior year he makes the move to TE and in such a short amount of time was able to impress enough to make the 49ers roster and is now playing in the NFL as a TE.
That really is just a story that is worthy of a movie. His career turned out to be HUGELY different than everyone thought when he came out of high school, yet he didn't give up, he redefined himself, and was able to step up and make sure he took his talents to the next level.
That was a transition time. Even though there were zero athletic scholarships for women in those days, there were still lots of complaints about the cost of football scholarships. It's the primary reason freshman eligibility returned in 1972. But before that, when you had a whole team of just freshmen, playing a four game schedule, you had to have 40 ships to field a competitive team. There were more than few guys who played as freshmen, and then decided to not play football any more, for a lot of different reasons.
Until the freshman team was eliminated, and I can't tell you the specific time that happened, you needed even more, because the best freshmen were on the varsity. But when the NCAA went national with scholarship limitations in that same time frame, 40 per year plus, could add up to a lot of varsity players. They added a national LOI, which took care of the problem of having to oversign, because you were going to lose a few. As late as 72, the last class when I was in Norman, Joe Washington signed more than one letter of intent. There was no certainty that anyone who'd done that was actually coming until they showed up in late August.
After that time, there were at least three or four times when the number of ships available was lowered by the NCAA. The big change came when they put a limit on the overall number you could have. People forget that selling out games was very much the exception. Until my junior year, OU never had as many as three game day crowds over 60,000 in a season. For most of the 70's, the economy was tight. But we were an exception, because once we went five years with an overall record of 54-3-1, they had to expand the stadium and still sold it out. I believe it was 1975 when the west side upper deck was completed, the fifth year of that streak.
In 1969, my freshman year, you could walk into the OU ticket office in August, and buy RRR tickets for under $20 apiece. That hasn't been the case for a while.
The story Steve Davis himself told was Fairbanks really didn't want him, and Leon Cross was about his only supporter to recruit him to OU. But Steve Davis himself did say he got the last scholarship that recruiting year. He said he got a call from Leon telling him that Clyde Crutchmer had deciced to go to Colorado and that OU had a spot if Steve wanted it. And he took it.
Bosworth.......
I agree on Kerry Jackson. Why did we change his transcripts and go on probation for that career?.........
Here is an article with a lot of info about Kerry and his life these days:
http://newsok.com/article/3786798
As a side note, the OU team that I have always thought as never living up to the hype was the 1963 team, a preseason number one pick by many magazines and writers. "Look Magazine" for example, picked OU to win it all and to face Navy (Staubach and company) in the Orange Bowl.
Still a decent year, but blowout losses to Texas (28-7) and Nebraska (29-20....two late scores by OU made the game appear closer than it was) were very disappointing. Beating USC in the second game of the season 17-12, OU took a 2-0 record to Dallas and lost to a very focused and very intense Texas team. That Texas team finished number one and destroyed Staubach's Navy team 28-6 in the Cotton Bowl.
That 1963 team was Wilkinson's last team and it did not play in a bowl game that year. I sometimes wonder if political aspirations by Wilkinson distracted him that final year.....or perhaps the Joe Don Looney debacle took a toll on the team's morale. Whatever the case, that team seemed to play some games at medium speed. The Oklahoman even called the Sooners "listless" following a 34-9 win over K-State.....a game played in front of 12,000 fans in Manhattan.
The Sooner team that beat USC (at Los Angeles in 120 degree heat) that year was not the team that faced Texas two weeks later. Wilkinson said in his newsletter words to the effect that "we are and never have been a great team" following the game and noted that USC lost that same day to a very poor Notre Dame team 17-14.
Still a decent year, but blowout losses to Texas (28-7) and Nebraska (29-20....two late scores by OU made the game appear closer than it was) were very disappointing. Beating USC in the second game of the season 17-12, OU took a 2-0 record to Dallas and lost to a very focused and very intense Texas team. That Texas team finished number one and destroyed Staubach's Navy team 28-6 in the Cotton Bowl.
That 1963 team was Wilkinson's last team and it did not play in a bowl game that year. I sometimes wonder if political aspirations by Wilkinson distracted him that final year.....or perhaps the Joe Don Looney debacle took a toll on the team's morale. Whatever the case, that team seemed to play some games at medium speed. The Oklahoman even called the Sooners "listless" following a 34-9 win over K-State.....a game played in front of 12,000 fans in Manhattan.
The Sooner team that beat USC (at Los Angeles in 120 degree heat) that year was not the team that faced Texas two weeks later. Wilkinson said in his newsletter words to the effect that "we are and never have been a great team" following the game and noted that USC lost that same day to a very poor Notre Dame team 17-14.
not that these guys were my "favorite"...but rather guys that I thought would crush it here at OU and just didn't:
Tony Cade (5 star safety)
Aaron Miller (4 star corner)
Bomar (knuckle head)
Mo Dampeer
Brian Zimple (pussed out before the end of his first summer camp)
Donta Hickson (5 star RB) good kid, just never panned out
Jermie Calhoun (5 star RB) just never really panned out
Every tight end recruit since Bubba Moses (except Andrews)
Chijoke Onyenagonagetcha (yeah..that guy)
and the all time disappointment....Trey Metoyer
Tony Cade (5 star safety)
Aaron Miller (4 star corner)
Bomar (knuckle head)
Mo Dampeer
Brian Zimple (pussed out before the end of his first summer camp)
Donta Hickson (5 star RB) good kid, just never panned out
Jermie Calhoun (5 star RB) just never really panned out
Every tight end recruit since Bubba Moses (except Andrews)
Chijoke Onyenagonagetcha (yeah..that guy)
and the all time disappointment....Trey Metoyer
