If only every quarterback quandary was resolved this easily.
Oklahoma’s Blake Bell has decided to move to tight end, Sooners head coach Bob Stoops confirmed on Wednesday. The decision clears the way for Trevor Knight to solidify his status as OU’s starting quarterback.
It was Knight’s MVP performance against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl that led Bell -- dubbed ‘The Belldozer’ for his power running prowess -- to approach OU offensive coordinator Josh Heupel in the first place. Clearly, the writing was on the wall regarding his future.“Over the break, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do,” said Heupel. “He approached me when I got back into town, and we had a conversation. He said, ‘Listen, I want to play at the University of Oklahoma. I’m a Sooner. I believe we’ve got a chance to do something special here.’”
“Blake wants to play, wants to help his team, wants to compete and believes that’s a great position for him to do that,” Heupel said. “I think everyone on our staff believes in him as a competitor and as a player. It’s going to be a lot of fun for him to make a change and then see where he can grow. I feel like he’s going to be a good player there.
Bell threw for 1,648 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions last year while starting seven games for the Sooners. He led his team to a comeback win over Oklahoma State. But OU has made clear that he will not return to his original position. At 6-foot-6, 252 pounds and with good athleticism for his size, Bell has the potential to be a real weapon at tight end for the Sooners. His move leaves OU with Knight, redshirt freshman Cody Thomas, true freshman Justice Hansen (a spring enrollee) and Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield at quarterback.
Lots of coaches talk about getting their best players on the field, but not all of them pull it off. This move may pay dividends for Bob Stoops and the Sooners come fall.