Oklahoma Football: 3 offseason 2021 questions for the Sooners

1. Can Spencer Rattler take the next step in his development?

For teams with aspirations of making it to the College Football Playoff, the hope rests on the shoulders of the quarterback. In Norman, those shoulders belong to the only five-star recruit in his class, redshirt sophomore quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Rattler got off to a shaky start at the beginning of the 2020 season, throwing five interceptions the first four games of the season. Rattler looked like, well, a freshman. Rhamondre Stevenson returning to the starting lineup helped him tremendously.

Having Stevenson back galvanized the running game and took a lot of pressure off of Rattler. Stevenson was the featured running back and the Sooners averaged under four yards per rush just twice — the run game had zero such games in the five previous outings.

Head coach and play-caller Lincoln Riley knows what needs to happen for his young quarterback to have success. Rattler needs a good run game to lead a balanced attack. This season, Seth McGowan is likely RB1 for the Sooners.

Most importantly, Rattler has a full complement of talented wide receivers and a full offseason (we hope) to gel with them. Rattler has shown that he can cut down on mistakes and be more efficient with the football.

The Sooners need Rattler to do it over an entire season.