Sooners QB Justice Hansen To Transfer (UPDATED)

Image via Tulsa World

The Sooners QB derby has been trimmed from a four-man battle to just three following the announcement that redshirt freshman Justice Hansen intends to transfer.

On the one hand, with Hansen a presumable fourth on the QB depth chart the move doesn’t necessarily come as a huge surprise. On the other, however, Hansen was a local kid and self-professed OU fan growing up.

Either way, as evidenced above he handled the decision with respect and class for the program and his fellow teammates. Hopefully he will find success (and playing time) wherever he eventually lands next.

– UPDATE: Bob Stoops addressed Hansen’s decision with in a statement released Wednesday evening.

102 Comments

  • Wilson says:

    Good luck Justice…we hardly knew ye…

  • ToatsMcGoats says:

    Not really excited about this. I really thought that he had a pretty decent shot. Guess he didn’t feel the same way. Good luck to him.

  • Ed Cotter says:

    Wishing the young man luck, but he had to know when Mayfield transferred that he was down in the pecking order the next couple years, but then in good shape his Jr. and Sr. years. Some guys don’t want to wait that long I guess. Makes it imperative that OU holds onto Kendall and gets a special talent for the 2017 class.

    • John Garner says:

      Kendall? I think he has transferred as well. I bet you mean Cody.

    • MrBigsby says:

      Why would a 4star recruit think he’s down the pecking order to a walk on? If he’s truly thinking that way, he won’t go far in the sports world.

  • Dustin says:

    Too bad. Wish him the best.

  • KJ1123 says:

    Best of luck to Justice. He will be an asset where ever he goes.

  • 22dupree says:

    Man, sorry to see him go … was looking forward to his development. Good luck Justice!

  • Jonathan Taylor says:

    And there goes my day. He could have won the starting spot and he’s throwing in the towel to go somewhere else. Just great. Can’t stand Knight; not a fan of Thomas; and Mayfield is average to me. He’s a RS Freshman he should have stuck it out to see if he could have won the job outright. Can’t stand quitters. Almost as bad as players who commit then decommit; if your not sure then don’t commit.

    • John Garner says:

      Wow. A little harsh I think. Can’t fault a kid as talented as Justice for wanting to get on the field. We have no idea what he knows about his situation. But I’d bet my last $20 he doesn’t feel he has a legitimate shot at starting this year and maybe next.

      • Walter Sobcek says:

        If he were truly talented, should he have not been able to win the job from the trip of marginal QBs ahead of him? Knight and Thomas couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn last season, and Mayfield seems to be competent but not great. Something strange going on in Norman. Losing a homestate 4 star is a bad thing.

        • MrBigsby says:

          We put all our eggs in the Hansen basket a few years ago, maybe should have tried harder with Cornwell. Now we have neither.

    • Rene Goupillaud says:

      Now that’s plain silly. Apparently you know or appreciate very little about life. Everyone has the right to move on from a job, university or whatever. It doesn’t mean they quit. I’m pretty sure that all of us changed our minds about things when we we’re 18, 19 or 20 years old. Perhaps you’ve forgotten how little you knew about life at that age.

      • IslandersFan says:

        I know it was a different time, but the Late great Steve Davis was 6th or worst on the depth chart. Hansen is a RS Freshman, he couldn’t stick it out a little longer? That’s the frustrating part for me…good luck to the kid.

    • Brad Warren says:

      What a ludicrous comment. Geez man, seriously? Hansen wasn’t going to get any significant pt this season or next for that matter, barring multiple, major injuries. He wants to play. He’s transferring. That’s not even in the realm of quitting.

    • D Hunter Sanchez says:

      Perhaps, even at this early stage, it was evident that he was not capable of winning the job.

  • j l says:

    He looked the best at the spring game to me, guess he didnt think he was gonna get a fair shot at the starting gig. /sigh

    • Indy_sooner says:

      I thought so as well but if he was to transfer, now would be the best time.

      • D Hunter Sanchez says:

        I don’t know how you can say he looked the best when he threw only 5 passes. I mean, Mayfield had things rolling. Go watch a replay.

        • Indy_sooner says:

          I am saying that he looked the best with his limited passes IMO… I would have loved for him to get equal passing opportunity as the others. I am well aware that the statistical rating is not apples to apples based on the limited time he saw, but I liked it none-the-less.

  • Stephen says:

    Yay for attrition! At least he didn’t handle it like Keith Ford.

  • Jeff says:

    Hope Austin does get mad OU takes another QB this year

  • BoomerDave says:

    Personally, I think he is making a huge mistake, but it’s his decision to make. I feel that he would have been at least a 2 year starter. Perhaps he knows something about Mayfield getting his 3rd year back that the rest of us don’t. I sat behind his Mom at the Spring Game and she couldn’t have been more proud of her son playing on Owen Field. This comes as quite a surprise to me.

    • Zack says:

      This is what I was thinking about mayfield as well. Either he’s(mayfield) getting another year, Thomas is becoming the clear favorite, or he just doesn’t think he fits the offense style.

      • L'Carpetron Dookmarriot says:

        It seems simple. Justice probably sees that he is a legit fourth string, for whatever reason, and he wants to play football.

      • D Hunter Sanchez says:

        Thomas a clear favorite?

  • Bob Edwards says:

    Good luck to the young man. Hard to see someone who is a life long Sooner fan give up on his dream. Is suspect that, being a dual-threat QB, he was more suited to the zone read offense that Huepel claimed he was running. Probably thinks that, by the time he has a chance to move up, we will have recruited guys better suited for Riley’s offense.

  • John Garner says:

    Best wishes.

  • Walter Sobcek says:

    Pretty strange situation. But if he isn’t good enough to beat out Knight and Thomas, who were dreadful last year, and Hansen, who is good but not great, then how good could he be?

  • OohRah Mama says:

    Well, that renders the Oklahoma Quarterback Derby parody video somewhat moot. I haz the sad.

    Justice, may you be well and fully blessed, truly successful & happy wherever you may go. I hate to see you leave, but if it really is the decision that works best for you then take the chance. The Sooner Nation will always be here to wish you well. We’ll miss you.

  • Brent says:

    Any chance he was in the list of the 10 players to violate team rules?

  • Travis Coyle says:

    Wow. Lol

  • Tulsa Terry says:

    There’s something rotten in Denmark. WTF.

  • Fear The Magic says:

    Now it looks like OUs decision not to recruit a QB this past year could come back to bite us.
    Hope not.

  • blaster1371 says:

    From the outside looking in this seems rather premature. It must be a system thing in that he doesn’t fit what Riley wants to run. Since none of the three QBs “ahead” of him really stood out in the spring game I’d think he was still in the hunt for the job.

    This is getting a little weird like the RB situatuion a few years back. OU had Whaley, Clay, Williams and Finch. OU appeared loaded at RB then Whaley breaks his ankle, Clay still had not gotten back to from, Williams was nursing a problem ankle and Finch kept busting assignments.

  • Sooner Ray says:

    Sometimes it’s hard for kids who have grown up being THE star to sit and wait. Also none of us, as far as I know, are at practice and team meetings every day. These players have a good sense of where they stand compared to others around them. While I always hate to see any player leave, they have to make decisions for themselves and what they feel is best.

  • Lane Gilstrap says:

    I wonder too if something is up with this. To me the quarterback battle could go deep into the season unless someone emerges as being really good. I’m curious to know what he knows. I think it would be great if Baker got his eligability back. He got a raw deal in the first place but this opens a door for someone else to get a scholarship. Hate to see him go and good luck to him.

  • rphokc says:

    ….any educated guesses on where
    ….thought thomas might be the one to head out…….stayed tuned

  • Billy says:

    You see that? Yup. That’s coming from left field.

  • SoonerfanTU says:

    Gotta be a tough situation. He probably knows he isn’t starting this season or next. And if he waits around another year or two, and still doesn’t win the job, then all of the sudden a kid that thinks he can be a darn good college QB might never even get a chance. It’s tough. If he doesn’t think he is going to start this season, I can certainly see his point.

    Side note, THAT is how you leave a program with class. Not that garbage that Ford spewed.

  • Jason Vos says:

    These kids are at practice everyday. I bet they already kind of know if their going to get a lot of playing time or not.

    Keith Ford looked at the situation and knew he wouldn’t play much this year. I bet Hansen already knows he will probably not see the field this year.

  • Jason Vos says:

    This has me kind of excited. This means Dalton Wood will get some reps at QB, just in case be it 4th string or scout team. I’ve always been an advocate for him to get a chance at QB, I hope this gives him somewhat of a shot. Kid can spin the football.

  • Exiled In Ohio says:

    What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we had a QB derby. Today we worry that two years from now we will have Thomas and a true freshman (if BM doesn’t get a year back). Kinda scary.

    But I don’t blame Justice a bit; he’s gotta do what he thinks will maximize his chance of being a starting D1 QB. Best of luck to him!

  • EasTex says:

    I find this baffling.
    I wish him the very best.

  • GreginDestin says:

    Regardless of what all of us thought about his relative abilities, he was running 4th in group of 4, he has exhausted his RS year, he was the last QB recruited by an OC who was fired, and now the new OC has gone to NC to find the next boy wonder. Thanks, Justice. Make this a good choice. Frankly, I think you are better than you are giving credit for yourself.

    • Sooner Ray says:

      That makes me wonder if Josh has been talking to him. Bob likely would let that transfer go.

      • GreginDestin says:

        I would not be surprised at all to discover Justin Hansen heading to Utah State. Other than Aikman, OU QB transfers have never done very well. This choice needs to almost perfect for it to work. Utah State, I believe, needs a QB and needs it now. Mayfield is essentially a ‘free agent’. Knight believes he is still the answer and as a JR, he is determined to play out the string. Cody has baseball and a good program at OU to play baseball if FB does not work. Hansen was a dual threat, Josh recruit. He is the obvious person to make a move. USU is a place which seems to be a perfect fit.

        • MrBigsby says:

          Cody gave up baseball.

          • GreginDestin says:

            If you read his original statement, Cody gave up baseball for THIS SEASON. Nothing was said about succeeding seasons if he did not win the starting QB job.

          • ratman says:

            Cody couldn’t play for a bad OU baseball program. We can’t even get in the Regionals.

          • GreginDestin says:

            Cody has been a lot better baseball player all along. He just has to come to grips with that conclusion and get serious about baseball. OU’s problems as a baseball team are not related to Cody Thomas. It is a function of a bad coaching selection about similar to picking Jeff Capel. Like Capel, Hughes is not a person who fits into recruiting the kids OU is capable of recruiting, and there is obviously, a problem in developing talent.

  • Patvan says:

    Good luck to him I was hoping he would be the next great ou qb.

  • Tim A says:

    i sure hope, and have to assume, he was a given a fair shot by the coaches. i hate hearing this – regardless of where he was currently on depth chart something doesn’t feel right these days – including this. we can’t afford to keep losing 4-star (Hansen) and 5-star (Ford) talent – we don’t have enough of them as is and not signing many new ones these days. these talented kids don’t fall from trees and are hard to get. i wish him well.

    • james babcock says:

      I agree i have been saying this for weeks we are now down in the 70’s on our scholarships.we are now reaching a critical stage where is going to affect this team i am very concerned about so many players leaving.

      • Stephen Dale says:

        Bear Bryant won at aTm with 30-something players after a tough indoctrination at Junction Tx training site.. it can be done with less than 85 since OU generally plays only 50 or so any given Saturday……my biggest concern about Hansen is if he was fully evaluated by the new OC and given a decent chance to win the position—and nobody outside the coaching office will ever know the answer…..

        • OohRah Mama says:

          You do realize that wasn’t in this day and age, correct? That was before parity, before integration, before rules changes, more than likely before you were born. A bit has changed since then. I didn’t need wiki for that, by the way.

    • HoustonChiver says:

      At RB we have lost countless 5 star recruits to transfers over the past 5 years and our RB production has not been affected. Stars only matter coming out of highschool (barely), Ford was succeeded by better talent so his transfer was obvious. I was surprised by Hansen leaving, thought he had to be better than CT at the least, but being 4th string would get very, very old.

  • Jeff says:

    SMU would be a good place for him

  • Sunshine says:

    Why wouldn’t one stick it out until at least the end of the sophomore or junior year? Why even go to a place like OU in the first place if you ain’t got the testicular fortitude for a little competition? So many things can happen during the course of a season, seems dumb to bail this early. Who knows, maybe he’s got a chick at his next destination – that was about 80% of the reason why I bailed on my first college, but I didn’t have someone giving me a full-ride scholarship w/an expectation of performance in return.

    • Sooner Ray says:

      #stupidchicks. 🙂

      • EasTex says:

        They are in abundance and they often learn early how to manipulate the two brains men have. Unfortunately for us, only one of those brains can have an adequate supply of blood at any time.

    • EasTex says:

      Truly baffling.
      I won’t entertain speculation.

    • Rene Goupillaud says:

      At least you acknowledge that you bailed. Be nice if some other “holier than thou types” on this board admitted to their change of heart on things.

      I think the earlier you make a decision to transfer the better. Maybe he wants to play in a different system. We don’t know and shouldn’t care. It’s his life, not ours.

      Not every guy who comes to OU will play and a lot never stay 4 years. That’s ok, it doesn’t make these kids quitters or afraid of competition. Actually it is probably better for the kid and for OU.

    • OohRah Mama says:

      Golly, dear. Sorry about your poor experience. But it would be pure speculation that this young man is making such a decision. Pretty harsh judgment there.

    • RobinRG says:

      My guess – He doesn’t want to waste playing years sitting on the bench. Some prefer to go to another school than sit at their top choice. I wish him all the best!

  • Wilson says:

    Interesting to watch this teams dynamic change and its morphing into something, hopefully the sooner nation can beat their chest about…

  • Paul Warfield says:

    Kid will be successful! From a talent standpoint none of the other quarterbacks had more, with a possible exception of Thomas. And judging by both spring games he played in he was far from out of place. Tough loss for the Sooners.

  • Slim Sooner says:

    Sorry to see Justice leave us, but really wish the young man success wherever he lands. He departed with class and grace. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision for him, I just hope it was the right one.

  • Indy_sooner says:

    I thought he showed flashes of being a really good QB in the spring game. It’s a shame but an understandable decision at that

  • Indy_sooner says:

    Interesting that both he and David Cornwell @ Bama have yet to hit to see game time. Not going anywhere with this, but there was a lot of angst about missing out on the higher ranked David. Also, folks need to remember that QBs are tied in a huge way to OCs.. Stands reason that Hansen may not have been comfortable with Riley

  • SamSooner says:

    Bob Stoops is a great man. How many coaches give full releases without restrictions?

    • Dwebb_96 says:

      I just read this release. I concur, about Coach Stoops. To give a young talented player like Hansen a unrestricted release shows the character of Coach Stoops.

    • jonnyBgood says:

      A handful at most. This kid deserves a shot to play somewhere and holding anything over his head would be bush-league IMO. Hats off to Bob for doing the right thing and I hope nothing for the best for JH.

  • Jdizzle says:

    I have to give Bob Stoops props. He always gives his players a full release. He allows them to truly go to the best place for their game, where they will be able to play. Even if it is a rival or a team OU plays.

    • JB says:

      I’m beginning to wonder if maybe he should be more strict about granting releases so that players in the future will consider more strongly what happens if they jump ship…just a thought

  • phatbuddy says:

    Who knows maybe the Incoming freshmen QB played a small part in his decision??

  • Soonerfandave84 says:

    Welp, I was really hoping he’d develop over the summer and win the starting job. GL to him wherever he lands.

  • Jake says:

    So when he is granted a “full release” from OU, he still has to abide by conference and NCAA transfer rules correct?
    Sits out one year wherever he goes, just means h can go to whatever school he wants?

  • Hollerback says:

    This is a mistake by OU, I thought he was the best QB in the spring game by a wide margin.

    • EasTex says:

      Surely you mean a mistake by Hansen.

    • D Hunter Sanchez says:

      Okay. No offense, but OU ought to be paying you to coach O. There is no way any way can say he was the best in the Spring game when he threw 5 passes.

  • JB says:

    Wow…I’m shocked. Based on practice/scrimmage performance, I personally thought he would end up 2nd string QB by the end of Fall camp. If Mayfield were to get hurt then that could’ve meant serious playing time. If Mayfield gets hurt, we are in for another rough season.

    • Coach K says:

      He was so far down the depth chart that never would have happened and he knew it. He was 4th and way behind the other 3.

  • hushnpa says:

    dirty words : mud , goo , yogurt

  • Daddy R says:

    Really wanted to see this kid get a shot this year..