Oklahoma Sooners Football - The 10 Greatest Players of the Bob Stoops Era

We’ve finally arrived at our top 10 all-time Oklahoma Sooners to play under the legendary Robert Anthony Stoops. If you missed the first two parts, check them out here (21-30) and here (11-20). I just read the man’s Wiki and died a little upon encountering the words “former American college foot—” ahh I can’t even type it!

Anyway, we all know about the Sooner stars listed below, so I decided not to bore you with too many stats this time. There are highlights, though, and I apologize in advance for any videos that may contain a dumb song. It is not my intention to take away from watching the most awesome college football players in the last 18 years with some terrible dubstep playing in the background.

Also, my sincere apologies go out to Jermaine Gresham. You really should’ve been on this list, bro. At least somewhere in the top 30. If one day for some strange reason you end up on this site, I hope you come across these words, check the byline and think to yourself “OK, I guess that one gets to live.”

10. Gerald McCoy (DT, 2007-09)

The beast from Southeast was one of Bob Stoops’ most unique personalities during his time as a Sooner, which included earning two-time consensus All-America honors and being named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. G-Mac also continues to kick major ass in the NFL and is on a streak of making five straight Pro Bowls.

If there were awards given out for coolest dude to ever play college football, Fun GMC would be a prime candidate, for sure.

9. Rocky Calmus (LB, 1998-01)

Rocky redefined this era of Oklahoma linebackers and brought home the BCS crown in the magical year of 2000. The former Jenks star won almost every honor he could as a senior in ’01, including the Butkus, Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik Awards.

Calmus finished his storied OU career with two consensus All-American selections and currently ranks fifth all-time in tackles. He grabbed an absurd 22 tackles at Colorado in 1999. He is not only the best linebacker through the Bob Stoops era — he is one of the best the college game has seen in the last 20 years.

8. Jammal Brown (OL, 2001-04)

Brown didn’t allow a single sack on his quarterback Jason White in his 2004, Outland Trophy-winning season. He was everything you wanted in an offensive lineman — big, strong, fast, athletic, very smart (most of the time) and disciplined.

Brown went on to be drafted 13th overall by the New Orleans Saints, and he enjoyed a productive eight-year career that included two Pro Bowl invites and an All Pro selection (2006).

7. Tommie Harris (DT, 2001-03)

Back in my college days at OU, I had this one friend whose girlfriend’s roommate used to tutor a young Tommie Harris. She said he used to make these growling noises when he would delve into deep thought, especially when doing the math. This is irrefutable proof of my theory — Tommie Harris was no ordinary, unanimous All-American defensive tackle; HE IS AN ACTUAL BEAR!

Thinking back, it’s the only thing that makes sense. I remember it well watching this guy maul through every offensive lineman that stood between him and his next meal every Saturday. If only the Sooners’ offense didn’t decide it wanted no part of any more forward pass completions in the 2004 Sugar Bowl, Tommie the Grizzly would’ve been the only bear to have a college football national title to his name.

6. Josh Heupel (QB, 1999-00)

Man, what happened to you (other than 60 pounds of late-night junk food) between the early 2000s to the year 2014, Josh Heupel? You used to be so, well, not exactly “cool” but you were a damn good college quarterback. Then you had to go and try that whole offensive coordinator thing.

To this day and likely through many future lifetimes, I’ll never figure out how you and Trevor Knight engineered and executed what you pulled off against Bama that one night in the Sugar Bowl. But of course we’re not looking back at offensive coordinator Josh. Your playing days at OU were excellent, and that is how I choose to remember you. You did throw kind of funny, yet somehow it worked.

After it’s all said and done, the year 2000 happened and no one can take that away from you. Thanks for delivering No. 7, Josh.

5. Jason White (QB, 1999-04)

What more can be said of Jason White that hasn’t already been said? No, really, I wrote all about him a couple of weeks ago. You can read it here. One thing that has to be mentioned is that no one threw a more beautiful deep ball than Jason White. It seemed like he was right on the money every single time.

4. Baker Mayfield (QB, 2015-17)

I know, I know, “Ahead of J-White?” you may ask in a mocking, possibly furious manner. But Baker the Touchdown Maker, besides being the greatest walk-on to ever lace them up, is the latest iOS update to what Jason White could’ve been before the two knee injuries.

3. Roy Williams (DB, 1999-01)

Superman Roy is the only Roy Williams that matters to me. That one wide receiver who pretended to play football at Texas is definitely not true ‘Roy Williams’ material, nor is the current UNC/former KU basketball coach, either. With apologies to the other 1,000 or so Roy Williamses across the country, y’all get why you’ll never be as cool as our Roy Williams, right?

Whether we faced Texas, Nebraska, Florida State, Russia, a meteor, a volcano, anything, with our Roy Williams on the field everything was just fine, America.

2. Sam Bradford (QB, 2007-09)

Anyone who knows me at all knows I never back down from defending Sam Bradford in friendly or hostile (drunken) football banter. The NFL’s most accurate passer (apologies to NO ONE!) is so accurate that offensive lines need not even be present for Sammy B to effectively sling it all over the yard. In fact, I’m pretty sure this was the case for five stupid years in St. Louis and also last season in Minnesota. That one season in Philly doesn’t count because there was not only an absent offensive line but also missing were an entire football team and a professional football coach. (Again, f*** you, Chip Kelly.)

Anyway, if you want to read about Sam’s stats, click here. And eat sh** if you’re a Sam Bradford hater. He will be in the Pro Bowl before it’s all said and done.

1. Adrian Peterson (RB, 2004-06)

No explanations needed on the top spot — the chosen one from Palestine was (with respect to Herschel and Bo) the best freshman running back ever. He would’ve also been the best sophomore and the best junior had those damn injuries not occurred — seriously, a broken collarbone while diving into the end zone against Iowa State? Smfh.

The 2012 NFL MVP is AD-OK in my book. Sorry, had to. I’ve had a weird couple of days. It was also very late when I wrote this. Enjoy the highlights, folks!