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Oklahoma DB announces transfer destination

Former Sooner Brendan Radley-Hiles announced his intention to transfer to Washington nearly a month and a half after entering the transfer portal
John E. Hoover|
Oklahoma DB announces transfer destination
Oklahoma DB announces transfer destination

Former Oklahoma defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles has left the transfer portal.

Radley-Hiles, a senior from Inglewood, CA, via IMG Academy and three years at OU, announced via Twitter on Tuesday night that he’ll play the 2021 season at the University of Washington.

Radley-Hiles is arguably the most polarizing player in recent Sooner history. His coaches and teammates loved his work ethic and attitude and leadership, but fans grew weary of his pass interference and personal foul penalties. Many fans also appreciated the "swagger" with which he often played.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Radley-Hiles — affectionally nicknamed “Bookie” as a child — was a 5-star cornerback at IMG and was immediately thrust into action as a true freshman. He moved to safety before soon settling in at nickel back. He seemed to have a love-hate relationship with former defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, which he expressed on social media after Stoops was fired midway through the 2018 season in an appreciation tweet for interim defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill.

But Radley-Hiles also seemed to really take to new coordinator Alex Grinch — and vice versa.

“Like several of our guys, no one's without their flaws,” Grinch said of Radley-Hiles in November after the Oklahoma State game, when an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a fourth-down incompletion gave OSU a first down, followed by a touchdown. “From a knowledge standpoint, extremely smart. Intelligent in understanding our defense. … Has shown well in coverage.”

“Like anything, we don't need to go through everybody's flaws. I've got plenty of my own. But, at the same token, a poor play last week in terms of an emotional deal. That's gonna cost him, because it cost us. There's ramifications for that, and we handle that and move on. Certainly, a guy that's played a lot of football here at Oklahoma and has made plays for us in the past.”

Similarly, head coach Lincoln Riley said the following week, unprompted, that criticism of Radley-Hiles was unfair and that while Radley-Hiles crossed a line, he would continue to back his player.

"I love having that kid here," Riley said in November. "He makes us better all the time, and we will be a worse program the day he's not here.”

In February, after Radley-Hiles announced his intention to enter the transfer portal, Riley reiterated that he hoped Radley-Hiles would reconsider.

"I certainly hope his career here is not over," Riley said. "We'll see how it plays out. He's had a great impact here. The people here within the walls probably understand that a whole lot better than the people outside. Everybody's gotta realize, when he came in here, obviously, there was a lot of hype around him. He walked into a defensive situation that year that was very, very tough. A lot of that got put on him from the public, certainly not within these walls, but from the public. That's the nature of the beast. That's the good with the bad. 

"The thing about that kid, that kid's had so many great moments here, whether being game-saving interceptions, big plays that he's had, game-winning plays for us he's had. He's been a huge part of just kind of our culture. Helping young players; he's done a great job of being involved with recruits and hosting guys on campus. He's been a great student and a great ambassador for our program. 

"If we can get the same amount of contributions out of all our players that we have out of him, then we're gonna get much better in a hurry. He's been fantastic here. If he does decide to leave, then I'll be his biggest fan and I think he'll have a lot of fans around here and a lot of people that'll watch him, and if he decides to stay, which is what I certainly hope happens, then we're gonna have one last great run together."

Radley-Hiles finished his OU career with 115 total tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss and one quarterback sack. He also had three interceptions, including a pick-six in 2019.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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