Commentary: What's Next for Oklahoma if Caleb Williams Leaves?

Caleb Williams has entered the transfer portal, so now what?

The talented quarterback could still return Oklahoma, and all will be well headed into the 2022 season for the Sooners.

But if he doesn’t, OU will be in a precarious position.

Should Williams depart, he could just be the first domino to fall in an exodus of skill-position talent.

The most obvious candidates to move along could be fellow freshmen wide receivers Jalil Farooq and Mario Williams, who both highly valued their relationship with Williams in making the decision to come to Norman in the first place.

Caleb Williams and Mario Williams were famously linked throughout their recruitment, as Mario was very keen on catching passes from Caleb for three seasons.

And Farooq has suited up alongside Caleb Williams for years.

“We actually played little league together about 10 years ago now, it's crazy,” Williams said during his postgame press conference after the Alamo Bowl. “We were around 11 or 12, and we played little league. We played wide receiver and running back. It was me and him and all my other guys back home.

“But we couldn't go to the same high school. We tried to go to the same high school, and then we told each other at little league we were going to end up going to college together, and dreams came true, and we're here at Oklahoma together.”

Farooq had a breakout game against Oregon, hauling in three catches for 64 yards in San Antonio.

Established guys could be on the move as well.

Sophomore wide receiver Marvin Mims has a big year ahead, as he is eligible to enter the NFL Draft after the 2022 season.

In two years for the Sooners, Mims has caught 69 passes for 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Similar to Williams, Mims had a chance to quell any transfer portal drama ahead of the Alamo Bowl, yet he left the door open for a possible departure, though he said he’d like to stay in Norman.

“I've talked to Coach (Brent) Venables and Coach (Jeff) Lebby that week while they were moving in,” Mims said before the bowl game. “… But I definitely want to be here. I haven't made that much of a decision yet, but I still want to be here.

“… There have been some departures to go to other schools and stuff like that, but me being here, I definitely want to be in the crimson and cream next season.”

From the crop of 2022 signees, receivers Nicholas Anderson and Jayden Gibson will join the OU roster, but barring incredible breakout seasons next year, the Sooners could have to replace a ton of production from the wide receiver room if an exodus does occur.

From a quarterback perspective, the Sooners will need to look to the portal as well.

Ralph Rucker and Micah Bowens remain on the roster, and true freshman quarterback Nick Evers will have a shot, but it would be a lot to ask Evers to step in and fill Williams’ shoes.

Former UCF quarterback Dillion Gabriel was the popular name people assumed would step in if Williams departed due to his prior relationship to Lebby, but it is unclear if he’d still be able to transfer to OU after committing to UCLA in December.

Should Gabriel be unable to get out of his financial aide agreement with the Bruins, the portal options dry up pretty quickly.

Former Texas quarterback Casey Thompson could get a look, which would be a fascinating move in the era of the transfer portal.

Sure, Thompson is the son of Sooner legend Charles Thompson, but the thought of a quarterback starting on both sides of the Red River Rivalry in consecutive years is difficult to wrap the mind around.

Not to mention, Thompson had an up-and-down year in 2021, fighting through injury on the Forty Acres.

Losing the competition to Hudson Card out of camp, Thompson replaced Card against Arkansas and won the starting job.

Thompson completed 63.2 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,113 yards and 24 touchdowns, but also tossing nine interceptions for the Longhorns. Texas also lost six straight games, failing to reach the six-win threshold to make a bowl game in 2021.

Other notable names still in the portal are Incarnate Word quarterback Cameron Ward, Texas A&M’s Zach Calzada and Florida’s Emory Jones, but outside of Ward, it’s unclear Calzada or Jones would move the needle in Norman.

This past season, Ward threw for 4,648 yards, 49 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last year for the FCS outfit, completing 65 percent of his passes.

Williams’ potential departure would create ripples felt by the Sooners for years to come, but if Lebby and Venables can land a stop-gap out of the portal, they can help stop the bleeding and start to reform the roster in Venables’ vision as Oklahoma prepares to enter the SEC.

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