Cody Thomas No Longer A Two-Sport Athlete At OU

Image via USA Today

The Oklahoma’s Ryan Aber & Jason Kersey were the first to break the news Tuesday afternoon that Oklahoma quarterback Cody Thomas would not be a part of the OU Baseball team this coming season. Thomas shortly thereafter confirmed the news via his Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/codythomas_12/status/562692664261632002

It’s certainly an interesting development for the now former two-sport athlete, and an indisputable sign OU’s starting quarterback job will truly be an open competition this spring/fall. Needless to say Thomas obviously wouldn’t have gone so far as to quit the baseball team if he’d been led to believe otherwise.

67 Comments

  • Josh says:

    Good call for the kid. He has potential for sure and a lot of things to work on also. Competition should be good and hopefully elevate all of the QBs play.

  • Randy White says:

    Yep, new OC means QB and WR position are wide open. Cream will rise to the top. Shep probably only person with a secure position.

  • Jeremy Phillips says:

    The kid could be really good at either. Focusing on one should only accelerate his development… He could always go back to baseball if football doesn’t work out…

  • Indy_sooner says:

    I see us losing another QB this year. Nature of the business with 4 already on campus…

  • rphokc says:

    …will be a good test for riley regarding qb development……….kid has an arm and last yr was hard to take…….hopefully he’s better than that

  • Sooner_Ace says:

    I know EastTex has always had faith in the young man since he signed initially, would love to get his take on this since he seen the kid for a # of years now

    • EasTex says:

      As you noted, I have had a very high opinion of CT for a number of years and was thrilled when he chose OU.
      Making this decision must have been difficult, as he has been a multi-sport kid since he was little. In doing this, I think it signals he expects and/or wants to get additional work in developing his QB skills, be that from his OU coaches or an independent guru type this summer.
      Regardless, I know he has the physical tools necessary and would love to see him regain the high level of confidence he displayed as a four year starter at a good program in one of the most competitive districts in Texas.
      It’s going to be a battle in the spring and summer to determine the starting QB, they might as well start now.

  • JD says:

    This is what he needed to do if he wanted a shot next year..this spring is really going to be important for all four guys

  • OceanDescender says:

    Now he can focus on the proper mechanics and teachings from Riley. So much potential in this one. The battle should be awesome this spring!

  • Jeff says:

    Not sold on Thomas, had a excellent running game and still could not complete 60% of his passes

    • Super Keith says:

      He clearly wasn’t ready to be out there. That’s on Heupel. Now that he has a new QB coach, and has had some experience, he could end up being pretty good.

    • Boom says:

      Who are you sold on at any position.

  • SamSooner says:

    (cough)Bridge crossing (cough) Bridge crossing.

  • Dwebb_96 says:

    Pure speculation (with some common sense), seems to me that before he made a decision that major there would have been at least 1 or more conversations between cody and coach riley. I would have to believe that for cody to give up a sport that many said he had a chance to go pro in, he believe he had a chance to compete for major playing time. Just my 2 cents worth

  • Robertson / Robertson 2016 says:

    Ah. QB controversy in my beloved Oklahoma. Come April, there will be Okies in tornado shelters shouting at one another over the sirens:

    Okie 1: “How can you say Mayfield? He hasn’t even played one snap as a Sooner!”

    Okie 2: “He has if you count the Spring Game! Besides, he’s got a better feel for the game! Way better than Hansen!”

    Okie 1: “Thomas is better than Hansen, you idiot!”

    Okie 2: “No, he ain’t! And who you calling an idiot? Idiot!”

  • James D-Space says:

    Interesting note from Cody. Business decision or Coaches decision I wonder?

    • Doobie74OU says:

      Got to think he puts everything he has into becoming the starter this year and if that doesn’t happen he may do the exact opposite next year and drop football to focus on Baseball!

      • James D-Space says:

        Maybe. However, leaving baseball for over a year, it will take some time to get your swing back if that’s his plan.
        I think he hit .100 his freshman year, so there is that. Hopefully this works out well for him.

  • nicjams says:

    I still have this weird feeling that TK9 will be the starter next year. I’m super curious about Hansen though.

    • James D-Space says:

      Maybe, but thinking Mayfield.

    • soonermusic says:

      “TK9…starter” Not weird at all, imho. Unless his injury plays into the calculation in some way, I would not be at all surprised to see him win/retain the job.

  • James D-Space says:

    Open competition to be sure… Strictly a guess, but my money says Mayfield.

  • Sooner_Ace says:

    Well the Spring will certainly be more dramatic 🙂

  • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

    Perhaps he didn’t like the Baseball coach.

  • Steve Johns says:

    Very happy to hear this news! His throwing motion last year was that of an outfielder, we’ll get a quick look at how good of a QB coach Linc is.

  • bjwalker82 says:

    Did anyone see anything from CT throwing the ball this fall that made them feel encouraged that he could lead us to a national title?

  • Tulsa Terry says:

    I can see CT challenging for playing time. My money goes on TK9 to lead the resurgent Sooners.

  • Fear The Magic says:

    Anyone whos seen Codys High School vids knows that he has much more talent than he showed last year. You dont lose your innate ability. I dont know if he’ll end up being our starting QB but I definitely think that with some good coaching this spring he’ll be in the thick of the competition for it.

  • Jonathan Taylor says:

    It will be between Thomas, Mayfield and Hansen. I know I shouldn’t count out Knight, but I really think he’s at a disadvantage in this new offense with how he performed last year. He doesn’t make good decisions running or passing and in the Air Raid that’s one of the most important traits for a QB.

    • nicjams says:

      On the contrary, I’ve seen less than stellar QBs flourish in the air raid offense. TK9’s skill set could potentially lead him to be a very dangerous weapon in this offense. I’m still fully on board the Knight train fwiw.

    • John Garner says:

      Not just good decisions, but quick decisions as well. Nothing against TK but I’m betting on Baker.

  • Ed Cotter says:

    Tough decision to make, but he seems to be up for the challenge. Wishing him the best in the spring and beyond.

  • Jackson1006 says:

    Wish the young man the best! He has the most promising physical talents of our qbs imho and is underrated as a runner (more instinctive but not as fast as TK9). Pushes the ball sometimes when he throws maybe that is a baseball thing. TK9 is simply not consistently accurate, hardest quality to teach, will get a receiver “killed” one day but a great rep for our school character wise. I’m guessing Mayfield is in the lead because he knows spread and throws the most accurate ball but lack of arm strength may hurt against top flight competition. That said I am grateful to all of them for their dedication/ sacrifice for our school.

    • JD says:

      Didn’t Thomas run the spread in hs…guessing that would give him just as good a lead as Mayfield..more so because of his down the field strength

  • Nate Broadus says:

    Something about this dude is intriguing. I don’t believe for a second that a guy who was as accurate and savvy as he was in high school suddenly forgets how to throw a pass. Same with Blake Bell, actually.

    It’s not going to surprise me in the slightest if a bunch of QB’s make huge strides under Lincoln Riley. The guy is a proven developer of QB talent pulling double duty as an OC and position coach.

    Of all the QB’s in Norman, Cody Thomas is the most physically impressive. If Lincoln Riley can coach him up and bring out anything close to what he was in high school, he could very well win the job.

  • SoonerPhins says:

    For some reason I still feel like Knight will lead the competition with Hansen being the wild card. Just a gut feeling, but I am not sure Mayfield wins it. But hey that’s why I’m here and not coaching at OU lol

  • JrsySooner says:

    Off topic but I am prediciting we go over 2,000 posts today ref NSD
    any guesses, I say 1315