Oklahoma Sooners Football Recruiting: Has Lincoln Riley Found His QB for the 2018 Class?

When four-star Cali quarterback Cameron Rising flipped from OU to Texas last month, he left the Oklahoma staff in a tough spot. Not only was their Plan A off the board, but Plan B had also committed to UT in the meantime.

Lincoln Riley, who hadn’t considered the position (for 2018, at least) since last August, was forced to go back and watch more film to figure out a next step. The logical moves — reaching out to Casey Thompson and Spencer Sanders — seem like non-starters so far.

Which brings us to a kid named Adrian Martinez. Martinez, from Fresno (Calif.) Clovis West, is a friend and former teammate of Sooners star Caleb Kelly. He committed to Cal in November before leaving the class last month, and holds offers from schools all over the country including Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Washington, Miami, Oregon, Ole Miss and Arizona. 247 considers him one of the best dual-threat QBs in the country — and Riley paid him a personal visit to extend an offer on Monday.

There’s a lot to love about Martinez’s game. He’s got a big, easy arm with zip and accuracy, and the pocket presence to make it work. His legs are also an asset, but I don’t think he’ll be busting off big runs at the next level — rather, like Baker Mayfield, he can use them to extend plays and find open guys, grabbing a few yards here or there when needed.

Martinez shows good awareness of the pass rush and never looks out of control or in a hurry. It’s impossible to say for sure with a few minutes of film, but he sure doesn’t look like the kind of guy who will be intimidated by the college game. Sometimes that kind of maturity is more important than five-star tools.

Martinez is definitely interested in the Sooners, and the next step will be to get him to campus. Tennessee is reportedly OU’s biggest competition here, but the Vols already have a QB commit in the class (his name is Michael Penix, Jr., which I think is funny because I’m apparently 12).

Martinez to OU is far from a done deal. The Sooners may also be interested in Penn State commit Justin Fields, and will likely extend more offers. This could take time to sort itself out. But OU would be happy to take Martinez on board any time — provided, of course, he promises not to flip to Texas.