Although Oklahoma began competing in intercollegiate football in 1895,[1] the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun in 1946. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since 1946, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until
1972 (with the exception of the
World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[2] The Sooners have played in a bowl game every year since then, giving players since 2002 an additional game to accumulate statistics. Similarly, the Sooners have played in the
Big 12 Championship Game 10 times since 2000. OU's future home of the SEC also holds
a championship game.
Due to
COVID-19 issues, the NCAA ruled that the 2020 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any football player, giving everyone who played in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.[3]
The Sooners eclipsed 5,000 total offensive yards as a team all but twice (for a total of 16 times) during the tenure of
Bob Stoops as head coach from
1999 to
2016,[1] and did so again during the first two seasons of Stoops' successor
Lincoln Riley in
2017 and
2018.[4][5] Oklahoma had only done this eight times before Stoops' arrival. In addition, the 2017 and 2018 seasons[4][5] marked the 11th and 12th times the Sooners accumulated over 6,000 yards, with the other 10 times occurring during Stoops' tenure as head coach. The team had never accomplished this feat before Stoops took over.
These lists are updated through Oklahoma's game against Houston on September 1,
2019.
^
abcdMayfield began his college career at Texas Tech in 2013, transferring to Oklahoma after that season and sitting out the 2014 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
^
abcdMurray began his college career at Texas A&M in 2015, transferring to Oklahoma after that season and sitting out the 2016 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Although Oklahoma began competing in intercollegiate football in 1895,[1] the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun in 1946. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since 1946, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until
1972 (with the exception of the
World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[2] The Sooners have played in a bowl game every year since then, giving players since 2002 an additional game to accumulate statistics. Similarly, the Sooners have played in the
Big 12 Championship Game 10 times since 2000. OU's future home of the SEC also holds
a championship game.
Due to
COVID-19 issues, the NCAA ruled that the 2020 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any football player, giving everyone who played in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.[3]
The Sooners eclipsed 5,000 total offensive yards as a team all but twice (for a total of 16 times) during the tenure of
Bob Stoops as head coach from
1999 to
2016,[1] and did so again during the first two seasons of Stoops' successor
Lincoln Riley in
2017 and
2018.[4][5] Oklahoma had only done this eight times before Stoops' arrival. In addition, the 2017 and 2018 seasons[4][5] marked the 11th and 12th times the Sooners accumulated over 6,000 yards, with the other 10 times occurring during Stoops' tenure as head coach. The team had never accomplished this feat before Stoops took over.
These lists are updated through Oklahoma's game against Houston on September 1,
2019.
^
abcdMayfield began his college career at Texas Tech in 2013, transferring to Oklahoma after that season and sitting out the 2014 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
^
abcdMurray began his college career at Texas A&M in 2015, transferring to Oklahoma after that season and sitting out the 2016 season due to NCAA transfer rules.