Lincoln Riley: Virtual QB Meetings With Spencer Rattler, Tanner Mordecai Have 'Been Kinda Cool'
It’s nearly impossible for football coaches to impart what they need to to the players during a pandemic.
Especially for new quarterbacks.
All Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley can really say to Spencer Rattler and Tanner Mordecai is, “Do this. Do this. Do this. And above all, stay ready.”
No one knows when normal life will resume, or when college life will resume. And certainly no one knows when college football can even begin to resume.
But Riley said Wednesday that he’s actually taking advantage of virtual meetings that allow him face time with his quarterbacks that he didn’t have before the Coronavirus shut everything down.
“It’s helpful because right now we’re able to have eight hours a week of meetings with these guys,” Riley said. “So you’re constantly in their ear. There’s not very much mentally that you can’t do with them. And honestly, this is a time where, typically, we’ve had no hours with them in the month of May, so this part’s been kinda cool, that you’re able to continue learning from the spring even though it wasn’t on the field and it was different and all that.
“You’re able to continue that here into May and I would anticipate we’ll be able to continue into June as well, depending on when we’re able to get these guys back on campus.”
Mordecai is a third-year sophomore whose only on-field appearances so far were in mop-up duty. Rattler’s only action came in three games as a true freshman, allowing him to retain his redshirt status.
Although the Sooners got only one spring practice in before the shutdown, Riley isn’t discouraged about not getting up-close instruction time with Mordecai and Rattler.
“From a mental standpoint, I think they’re in a great place the rest of the time,” Riley said. “They’ve all done a great job of finding places to throw the ball and places to continue to work on and people to work with during this time, and they’ve been able keep me updated with it.
“No, I think we’ve had a good game plan and I think they’ve done well. Obviously, I can’t wait to see them with my own eyes. But I’m excited about where they are and I’m confident about where they will be.”
Riley reiterated his previous stance that he’s confident there will be college football in 2020 … or perhaps 2021.
“I definitely think we’ll play,” he said. “When we play? I just think everybody, whether it’s our decision-makers, our coaches, our players, fans, I think everybody’s gotta have a very open mind about this. We’re not the NFL. There’s some huge, huge differences in us being able to put on a successful season versus a professional league. We’re not the NBA. We don’t just have 15 players. This is a totally different deal.
“I think if we do it right, and if we’re patient enough on some key areas, like when we bring our players back on campus — I mean, all this talk of all these schools wanting to bring players back on June 1st is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. So we’ve got to be patient. We’ll get one good shot at it, to bring ‘em back at the right time when we’re as prepared and know about this as much as we possibly can.
“But I do believe if we do it right and we don’t get ahead of ourselves, we will be able to play a season. Whether that’s this fall, whether that’s in the spring, whether it’s a combination, whether that’s a full schedule, shortened schedule, I don’t know. I know all those options are on the table, and we’re gonna have to have an open mind and we’re probably gonna have to make some adjustments along the way.
“But I have a high, high confidence that we are gonna play football this year.”
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