Who are best OU football players in Big 12 era? Baker Mayfield, Roy Williams lead Sooners
NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma has thrived during the Big 12 era.
The Sooners have won 14 conference titles since the league began in 1996. No other program has won even four.
But that era comes to an end Friday when the Sooners host TCU at 11 a.m. in a game televised by Fox.
The Sooners’ time in the league also has been marked by plenty of individual excellence, as well.
They’ve had four Heisman Trophy winners, two Butkus Award winners, two Thorpe Award runners and plenty of other honors.
Here’s a look at the best of the best, though, with position-by-position selections of OU’s top players during the Big 12 era, as picked by The Oklahoman:
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OFFENSE
QB: Baker Mayfield (2015-17)
The 2017 Heisman winner threw a touchdown pass in a school-record 40 consecutive games, including a stretch of 27 consecutive games with at least two.
RB: Adrian Peterson (2004-06)
How great could Peterson’s OU career have been had he been able to avoid injuries? He still holds the school record for rushing yards in a season with 1,925 in 2004.
RB: Samaje Perine (2014-16)
Perine set an NCAA record with 427 rushing yards against Kansas in 2014. He eventually set a school record with 4,122 career rushing yards.
WR: Ryan Broyles (2008-11)
Broyles was prolific, with a school-record 349 career receptions and 131 in 2010 to set a single-season record. He also holds school records for career (4,586) and single-season (1,622) receiving yards.
WR: Mark Clayton (2001-04)
Only two players in OU history have more career receptions than Clayton’s 221 — Ryan Broyles and Sterling Shepard.
OT: Jammal Brown (2001-04)
Brown won the 2004 Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in college football and was a two-time All-American.
OG: Duke Robinson (2006-08)
Robinson was dominant on the interior of the line, earning consensus All-American honors in 2007 and 2008.
C: Creed Humphrey (2017-20)
The Shawnee product started for three seasons at center and was a second-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2021 NFL Draft.
OG: Davin Joseph (2002-05)
Joseph started 40 games in his career, helping the Sooners’ powerful offenses from that era go.
OT: Trent Williams (2006-09)
Williams moved into the starting lineup as a freshman and teamed with Duke Robinson and Phil Loadholt to give the Sooners one of the most dominant offensive lines in program history in 2008. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and has gone on to make 10 Pro Bowls.
TE: Jermaine Gresham (2006-08)
Perhaps the hardest decision on the first team, as Gresham and Mark Andrews were both dominant matchup nightmares at the position. Gresham had 111 catches for 1,629 yards and 26 touchdowns during his career.
K: Michael Hunnicutt (2011-14)
Though Hunnicutt struggled a bit during his final season, he still ran away with the program record with 75 career field goals. At the time, Hunnicutt had 27 more field goals than anyone who came before him.
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DEFENSE
DE: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (2014-17)
In an era where the Sooners struggled with the pass rush, Okoronkwo stood out as a difference-maker on the edge. He sits tied for seventh on OU’s career sacks list with 21. He had nine of those in 2016.
DT: Tommie Harris (2001-03)
It’s typically hard for defensive linemen to shine immediately but Harris was a bonafide star for the 2001 defense. He was a two-time All-Big 12 selection and earned consensus All-American honors in 2002 and unanimous All-American honors the next year when he also won the Lombardi Award as the nation’s top lineman.
DT: Gerald McCoy (2006-09)
After redshirting his first season, he broke through in 2007 and wound up as one of four finalists for the 2009 Lombardi Award. He was picked third overall in the 2010 NFL Draft, joining top pick Sam Bradford and No. 4 pick Trent Williams to give the Sooners three of the top four picks.
DE: Dan Cody (2000-04)
Cody twice had three sacks in a game, including in the 2003 Bedlam game. He had 25 career sacks. Only Cedric Jones and Jeremy Beal had more as a Sooner.
LB: Teddy Lehman (2000-03)
The Fort Gibson product was a reserve on OU’s 2000 national title team and then blossomed from there. He’s part of perhaps the most iconic play in OU history — intercepting Chris Simms’ pass and returning it for a touchdown on the Roy Williams “Superman” play in 2001. Lehman won both the Butkus and Bednarik awards in 2003.
LB: Rocky Calmus (1998-01)
Calmus still holds the program record for most career tackles for loss with 59. He is fifth in program history with 431 career tackles. The Jenks product broke up 10 passes in 2001, when he won the Butkus Award.
LB: Curtis Lofton (2005-07)
Lofton is tied for sixth in program history in tackles in a season with 157 in 2007 after a strong finish to his 2006 season. He was a consensus All-American in 2007 and went on to a long NFL career.
S: Roy Williams (1998-2001)
Williams transformed the position not only at OU but across college football. He starred for the Sooners during their 2000 national championship season and made the iconic “Superman” play, leaping over a Texas blocker and batting the ball away from Chris Simms in the closing minutes of the 2001 OU-Texas game, where it fell into the hands of Teddy Leham for a touchdown to seal the Sooners’ victory.
CB: Derrick Strait (2000-03)
Strait immediately became a starter in the Sooners’ secondary, helping OU to the 2000 national title and earning Freshman All-America honors in the process. He had a 97-yard interception return against Texas Tech in 2003, the season where he earned unanimous All-American honors and won the Jim Thorpe Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
CB: Andre Woolfolk (1999-2002)
Woolfolk could’ve made the list on either side of the ball, as he was a productive wide receiver, as well. He had 573 yards and five touchdowns receiving in 2000, then became a first-round NFL Draft pick as a cornerback in 2003.
S: Tony Jefferson (2010-12)
The hard-hitting, versatile Jefferson had 119 tackles in 2012 — the second-most ever for an OU defensive back. He had 258 tackles in his career. Against Ball State in 2011, Jefferson tied a program record with three interceptions.
P: Michael Turk (2021-22)
Turk played just two seasons but obliterated the program record for career punting average at 48.33 yards — more than four yards better than second-place Tress Way. Turk averaged 51.27 yards per punt in 2021 to set a program record, then averaged 46.79 yards in 2022, good for third-best in program history.
All-Purpose: Antonio Perkins (2001-04)
Not only was Perkins a high-level defensive back, but he also is the best punt returner in Sooners’ history. Perkins returned three punts for touchdowns in OU’s 2003 win over UCLA, setting an NCAA record.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who are best OU football players in the Big 12 era? Meet these Sooners
