A quarterback with one of the building blocks has potential. But all of them? A guy with presence, toughness, intelligence, commitment and sheer ability?
Now we're talking the perfect college quarterback.
It's hard to say whether that prototype ever blessed one of the three Oklahoma schools. Some came closer than others.
Several, though, were at least touched with greatness. By the time they made their final college play, they were synonymous with at least one of the traits every coach is looking for.
But the dimensions of the modern quarterback multiply annually. So does the potential for a new standard at the position.
On this page we pick a player from each school's history who embodies one of the elements we think make the perfect quarterback. And we suggest one current quarterback who might have one of the five special traits in his DNA.
Presence
The quarterback is The Man by definition; he has the ball every play. It's important he acts like it, that he puts off a confident air that teammates gravitate toward.
Sam Bradford
Oklahoma | 2007-09
Set OU records with 8,403 passing yards and 88 touchdowns; holds record with 67.6 completion percentage
Early in his career, Bradford had the "Big Easy" nickname pinned on him by Bob Stoops for his unflappability. By his Heisman-winning season, when he drew rock-concert squeals in autograph lines, Bradford carried another aura - he was the most popular Sooner since Brian Bosworth, and the most popular OU quarterback of them all.
Mike Gundy
Oklahoma State | 1986-89
Set OSU records with 8,473 passing yards, 636 completions, 57 TDs
Never the biggest, strongest or fastest, Gundy nonetheless led Midwest City to its first state championship in a quarter century, then took the Cowboys to previously unscaled heights. He had help (see: Sanders, Barry), but mostly he had command. The man went toe to toe with The Boz. He's still in charge as coach.
T.J. Rubley
Tulsa | 1987-91
Set TU records with 9,324 passing yards, 682 completions and 73 TDs
The quarterback who broke Jerry Rhome's records, who led TU to 10 wins and its first bowl triumph since Rhome's era, had to have presence. That Rubley did. "I was never taught how to lose," he once said. Rubley was smart, tough (see: knee surgery) and had a strong-enough arm to start in the NFL.
Blake Bell
Oklahoma | 2011-present
Only 115 passing yards, 104 rushing, but 24 touchdowns out of the Belldozer
Bell has the size (6-6, 252 pounds) to command a huddle, and the attitude. "Landry (Jones) was very competitive," OU center Gabe Ikard says, "but Blake has the same fire. He just expresses it more than Landry did."
Toughness
In mind and body. The quarterback can't afford to let teammates see either physical pain or outsiders' criticism affect him.
Josh Fields
Oklahoma State | 2001-03
6,090 passing yards, Cotton Bowl-record 307 yards in 2004
Snapshot from the 2001 Bedlam postgame: Around the corner from a locker room of jubilant players, tucked away from the ongoing celebration of orange-clad fans outside, a beaten-up Fields quietly receives treatment. Didn't prevent him from quarterbacking one of the biggest upsets, and most significant victories, in recent OSU history.
G.J. Kinne
Tulsa | 2009-11
Second all-time at TU with 9,472 passing yards, 732 completions and 81 TDs
Kinne did it all despite the pounding that came while also rushing for 1,359 yards. Before arriving at TU, he carried on despite his coaching father being shot and nearly killed by a lunatic parent. This year, Kinne arrived in San Antonio for a try at Arena ball and said: "The competitor in me, I'm very crazy and passionate about football and I'll do anything - anything sane - to be successful."
Jason White
Oklahoma | 1999-04
Held OU records with 7,922 passing yards and 81 TDs
White lost his 2001 season to a torn ACL in one knee, then his '02 season to a torn ACL in the other. Some setback. White's 03-04 rebound included a Heisman, two national championship appearances and never-before-seen numbers. Maybe it had something to do with his job before OU quarterback - concrete pourer for his dad in Tuttle.
J.W. Walsh
Oklahoma State | 2011-present
Threw for 1,564 yards, 13 TDs, rushed for 290 and 7 as redshirt freshman last year
There's a picture of a smiling Walsh high-fiving OSU fans after last year's win over Iowa State, a game he finished with one good knee. His coach worried his season was over. Walsh came back to rush for two touchdowns at Baylor and pass for two more in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
Intelligence
Once the ball is snapped, a quarterback has to think for himself, his teammates and his coaches. All while processing what he sees from the defense.
Josh Heupel
Oklahoma | 1999-00
Held OU records with 7,456 yards, 654 completions and 53 TDs
He wasn't very big. He couldn't throw it very far. But nobody devoured more film than Heupel, who saddled up with Mike Leach and rode the Sooners into a new era of offense. He's still an analysis specialist as OU's play-caller.
Paul Smith
Tulsa | 2003-07
Holds TU records with 10,936 passing yards, 808 completions and 83 TDs
Coaches' sons are typically pretty bright. Paul inherited some of daddy Ron's smarts and then some. He was a second-team Academic All-American in 2006 with a 3.78 GPA. That wasn't good enough, apparently. Paul made the first team in '07 with a 3.84, winning the Wuerffel Trophy in the process.
Brandon Weeden
Oklahoma State 2007-11
Holds OSU records with 9,260 passing yards, 767 completions, 75 TDs
Gundy says the thing that sets apart quarterbacks today is their aptitude. No Cowboy quarterback has ever had Weeden's head. Of course, no Cowboy ever quarterbacked at the age of 28. That savvy came in about as handy as Weeden's million-dollar arm.
Cody Green
Tulsa | 2012-present
Threw for 2,592 yards and 17 TDs in first season as starter
Bill Blankenship says: "I use the analogy with our guys that some of you aren't ready for calculus yet. You're still in algebra." Green, TU's senior engineer, is in calculus.
Commitment
As demands at his position intensify, the quarterback must lose himself in film and weight rooms. Where he goes, teammates should follow.
Harold Bailey
Oklahoma State | 1976-79
Passed for 1,301 yards as a senior
Bailey began his career with a bang, and even started the Bedlam upset in Norman in '76. But at one time or another he found himself behind Charlie Weatherbie, Randy Stephenson and Scott Burk. Bailey moved to cornerback before re-emerging his senior season to lead the Pokes in passing.
Steve Davis
Oklahoma | 1973-75
Rushed for 2,124 yards, passed for 2,036 and accounted for 55 TDs
Davis came to OU as an afterthought, a just-in-case signee out of Sallisaw who was eighth string in a stockpile of quarterbacks. He kept plugging, perfecting Barry Switzer's wishbone, until there was no choice but to play him, winning 32 of 34 games.
David Johnson
Tulsa | 2005-08
Threw for 4,059 yards and 46 TDs in only season as starter in 2008
Overlooked coming out of high school, then stuck behind Paul Smith for three years, Johnson emerged in the summer of '08 and said: "I've waited long and matured. I'm ready to lead the team." Was he. Johnson nearly matched Smith record-for-record, and TU went 11-3.
Clint Chelf
Oklahoma State | 2010-present
Threw for 1,588 yards, 15 TDs last year
He could have bolted when stuck behind Brandon Weeden, and again when OSU appeared to recruit over him. But Chelf stuck it out, took over the offense last year, and just might keep it through his senior season.
Natural ability
The quarterback can work, think and lead his way to big things. But it sure helps his job if he has a bionic arm, turbocharged legs, or both.
Troy Aikman
Oklahoma | 1984-85
He ran a 4.6 40, benched more than 300 pounds, and was a good enough baseballer to draw attention from the Mets coming out of Henryetta. So Aikman didn't register the stats that Danny Bradley did before transferring to UCLA? Doesn't matter. The Pro Hall of Famer is the most talented quarterback Switzer, or any other OU coach, ever had.
Jerry Rhome
Tulsa | 1963-64
Held TU career passing records (4,779 yds, 374 completions, 42 TDs) until T.J. Rubley
TU has been something of a QB factory for a half century. None has broken the mold. Rhome revised the NCAA record book, nearly won the Heisman, then played in the NFL. He could make every throw and, a testament to his gifts, play any sport before settling on football coming out of high school.
Zac Robinson
Oklahoma State | 2005-09 | Holds OSU career record with 10,175 total yards
Mike Gundy cleared 8,000 total yards, Brandon Weeden 9,000. Robinson remains the only Cowboy signal-caller to hit quintuple digits. In '07, he set his school's single-game passing standard with 430 yards against Texas, while becoming the first OSU QB to clear 100 rushing yards three times in one year.Present
Trevor Knight
Oklahoma | 2012-present
Think Bell has run-pass potential? Senior captain Gabe Ikard considers Knight the most athletic of OU's three quarterbacks, saying: "He puts up crazy numbers in the weight room with the agility and speed stuff."
