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The Oklahoma Sooners have played position roulette with a handful of players in the past. The most notable may be none other than Lane Johnson who played quarterback, tight end, and defensive end before finding a home at offensive tackle, a position he currently makes a living at with the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, with Trevor Knight giving the performance of a decade during the Sugar Bowl, the focus has shifted toward the future of Blake Bell. As rumors continue to swirl surrounding a potential position shuffle for the quarterback, there are a few tell-tale signs that say otherwise.
However, these rumors are nothing new for Bell. With Landry Jones opting out of the NFL Draft to return for his senior year, many questioned what it meant for the "Quarterback of the Future." During the spring of 2012, Travis Haney of the Oklahoman reported Bell as taking snaps at tight end. Jake Trotter quickly shot that fantasy down by questioning Josh Heupel directly. The response hinted that while Bell had taken a few snaps at tight end, there would be no full-time position change.
The most telling of signs may come at the hands of Kendal Thompson's transfer announcement. A once full stable appears to be thinning out. Of course, Justice Hansen is an incoming freshman and will likely redshirt unless something unexpected occurs. That leaves Cody Thomas, a redshirt freshman, as the only readily available backup (assuming these Bell rumors are true). Throughout a portion of the 2013 season, Knight was exposed as injury prone. If that trend continues, the coaching staff needs to have a viable backup. Thomas, regardless of talent, is inexperienced and quite frankly, no one on the outside is sure he has the leadership skill of others on the roster. On the other hand, Bell has starter experience proven to rally the troops.
Even though Bell has the prototypical size of an NFL tight end, the possibility of him moving over to tight end or even defensive end, a la J.J. Watt, seem highly unlikely. Moving forward, this 6-6 252 quarterback will remain just that, a quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners.
