ANALYSIS: With QB Connor Weigman's verbal to Texas A&M, here's what it means for Oklahoma
Even Lincoln Riley can’t have them all.
Class of 2022 dual-threat quarterback Conner Weigman announced his commitment to Texas A&M Thursday on Twitter.
Weigman, from Cypress, TX, selected the Aggies over Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Baylor, Houston and others.
Riley and the Sooners likely aren't too worried, as Spencer Rattler posted eye-popping numbers in his redshirt freshman season and has a bright future. Then there's the longer-term outlook at the position: OU nabbed the No. 1 quarterback in the 2021 class, Caleb Williams, who just now joined the program ahead of spring practice.
OU offered the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Weigman last October, but locking down a quarterback in 2022 could be a challenge for the Sooners because of the talent already sitting in their quarterback room.
Rattler’s signing in 2019 meant OU had to go all the way down to the wire for Chandler Morris to commit to Riley in the 2020 cycle. Williams is likely to create a similar ripple in 2022.
A pair of Oklahoma quarterback offers remain uncommitted in Ty Simpson and Alex Orji.
Simpson, a 4-star quarterback out of Martin, TN, is scheduled to announce his commitment on Feb. 19.
Orji, a 6-2 dual-threat signal caller from Sachse, TX, has gotten less attention nationally than Simpson, and has yet to set a commitment date of his own.
While either Simpson or Orji selecting the Sooners would raise some eyebrows, Oklahoma is no stranger to bringing in players by other means.
Just as the Sooners have done already this offseason, Riley and his staff could look to the transfer portal for an experienced quarterback to add for depth and fill that spot in the '22 class.
Micah Bowens, who played his freshman season at Penn State before transferring to OU, is the perfect example.
A player whom Riley was fond of when he was recruited out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV, Bowens elected to don the crimson and cream after his first year in Happy Valley.
“We were a fan of Micah coming out,” Riley said on Wednesday. “Obviously had watched him at Gorman and what he had done there and were very aware of him.”
There's every reason to believe Riley will land a 2022 quarterback of some kind. But with the talent he has on his roster and his ability to find and develop the elite of the elite, he shouldn't feel compelled to.
It’s unrealistic to expect Riley to land every highly touted quarterback. Still, his track record speaks for itself. The Oklahoma quarterback room hasn't exactly been short on talent since Riley arrived on campus.
