By John Shinn
Oklahoma quarterback Rhett Bomar knows all about living in a fish bowl. Ever since he arrived at OU prior to the 2004 season, he’s been pegged with all the attention that comes with being the Sooners’ quarterback of the future.
And he’s found out how bright the spotlight is on and off the field.
“Yeah, I found that out and I made a mistake,” Bomar said of his recent citation for minor in possession of alcohol. “But I really don’t want to go into much talking about that. I just want to stick to football.”
On the field, this is an entirely different spring for the redshirt sophomore.
At this time last year, every pass, hand-off and decision went under the microscope while he battled with Paul Thompson and Tommy Grady for the starting job.
Any mistake could have potentially cost him the starting job.
But after spending the last 11 games running the Sooner offense, he has to shoulder new burdens.
Thompson is going through spring practice as a full-time wide receiver and Grady left for Utah last August. Bomar is taking the majority of the snaps these days. Joey Halze was brought in from junior college, but there’s no doubt about who the starter is.
Coaches no longer want to know if he’s good enough to be OU’s quarterback. They want to know if he’s mature enough to manage the offense.
“You have to take that leadership role,” Bomar said. “You have to take hold of it and go with it. Guys get confidence in you. I think everybody has confidence in me right now to go out and do my job. I just have to keep everybody going and keep our offense moving well.”
He threw for 2,018 yards and 10 touchdowns over those 11 starts and went 8-3 as a starter, but more is expected.
Mainly, he has to take control of the offense the way Jason White did during his tenure.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson believes that’s the biggest change the young quarterback has to make.
“Everybody says he’s the leader,” Wilson said. “To me, he’s the leader of an 8-4 team that was very average on offense. Just because you’re the quarterback that doesn’t make you the leader. This spring is different because maybe he can become the leader instead of just the guy who plays quarterback. To me, that’s how this spring is different.
“He knows he’s the quarterback, but just because you’re the quarterback doesn’t mean you’re in charge. It would be nice if that guy was the guy. We need to find out if he’s that kind of guy or not. Time will tell. You can’t make guys be things they’re not. You don’t inherit those rights.”
Quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel is no stranger to the pressures of being the Sooners’ signal-caller.
He helped OU go 21-5 from 1999-2000 and win a national championship during his senior season.
He believes Bomar is more comfortable with the job he has to do, but must still understand the job comes with a hot seat that never cools.
“Hopefully, he continues to press and has a sense of urgency, because he needs to get a lot better,” Heupel said. “He understands that if we’re going to be a championship football team he has to play a whole lot better than he did a year ago.”
John Shinn366-3536jshinn@normantranscript.com
