Creating His Own LEGACY

Creating His Own LEGACY

BY:Chris Plank

The 2020 OU/Texas game is one that will never be forgotten. Amid one of the wildest, most unpredictable and utterly unique matchups between the two rivals, a familiar name stepped up to make one of the biggest plays of the day.

As the Voice of the Sooners Toby Rowland called the eventual game-winning score, the playmaker on the other end was Drake Stoops.

“2nd and 10… Sooners go tempo. Snap to Rattler, straight drop… steps up throws late toward the endzone CAUGHT...IT’S STOOPS… DRAKE STOOPS TOUCHDOWN!! THE KID.”

Drake’s score was the most recent in a series of big plays that has solidified the Sooner redshirt sophomore as a significant piece of the Oklahoma offense in 2020 and beyond. But for this game winner, it seemed fitting that the final dagger in the Red River Showdown was delivered by someone with the last name Stoops.

“We had one of our normal tempo calls,” Drake said of the game-winning catch. “I just ran an under route and took it high over the linebacker, Spencer (Rattler) came through the pocket and hit me and that’s all she wrote.”

“Drake, what can you say?” OU head coach Lincoln Riley said. “I’ll bet his daddy’s pretty happy right now.”

“I love football so unexplainably much,” Drake said as he recalled the childhood dreams of playing in this game. “To be able to make a play like that for this team and a team from my hometown and all that, I mean it’s absolutely unbelievable. I prayed for times like this.”

But Drake’s rise on the Sooners depth chart goes much deeper than one big play against Texas or even his last name. The non-stop hard work was apparent from day one.

In 2018, he became the first true freshman walk-on to catch a pass in a season opener. With the implementation of new NCAA redshirt rules, the Norman North product was still able to redshirt despite playing in two games. In 2019, Stoops played in all 14 games and averaged just under 12 yards per catch.

But 2020 has been a breakout season for the two-time Big 12 All-Academic performer.

Drake has already surpassed his combined yardage and reception numbers from his first two years combined, even though he missed the season-opener against Missouri State. He made a big impact against Kansas State with three catches for 93 yards and his first career touchdown.

“My confidence is a lot better because I’ve been in the system longer,” he said. “I know my job and role and when you know what to do on every play it allows you to play faster and you can react to what’s going on.”

Riley said he is not surprised, though.

“It’s what he’s done on the practice field,” Riley said. “He’s a tough player, really good route-runner, great hands, competitor. Definitely fun to see him have some success and I’m sure it’s just the beginning.”

The path from walk-on to playmaker has not been an easy one for Drake. He has worked hard for the opportunity not only on the field but off the field in both the classroom and the weight room. He was listed as 175 pounds when he stepped on campus and has added close to 20 pounds of muscle since becoming a Sooner.

“It has definitely been a long process, not an easy one,” Drake said of his commitment to improving. “In the weight room is where I feel like I’ve made my biggest gains. That’s just translated to a lot of parts of my game.”

Drake made a name for himself on the field well before making the game-winning touchdown catch against Texas. He had wowed the Oklahoma high school football landscape as a standout with the Norman North Timberwolves. Paired with his twin brother Isaac, Drake amassed over 1,000 yards receiving during both his junior and senior seasons.

What he was able to accomplish in high school went far beyond just stats and numbers. He embraced the grind and passionately loved football.

“You look at him and you would think, ‘Really?’ There is nothing when you just look at the kid that says, ‘This is going to be an unbelievable wide receiver or athlete,’” his former coach at Norman North High School Brent Barnes said. “But, when you’ve seen him, the way he works and the way he competes and how tough he is both mentally and physically… I just don’t think he’s ever stood on the sideline for anything but it wasn’t because he was 6-5 and naturally gifted. He has something inside that he’s going to go take something from somebody, he’s not going to sit back and wait his turn. It’s just not in his personality.”

He was listed as a three-star prospect by Rivals and had scholarship offers from Iowa, Memphis, Ohio, Western Kentucky, Air Force and others. His final senior season numbers were impressive, catching 67 passes for 1,093 yards and 15 touchdowns. But he chose another path, one that was paved by heritage and childhood dreams.

“This just felt like the best fit for me, and it felt like home because it is home,” Drake of his decision to walkon at Oklahoma and spurn scholarship offers. “I felt like I had the best chance to flourish as the best player I can be here, under Coach (Riley) and the coaching staff.”

“We knew we wanted him here,” Cale Gundy, who is currently Oklahoma’s inside receivers coach, said. “Growing up here as I did in the state of Oklahoma, being around a program like this that has so much success, why wouldn’t you go here? Obviously, in his situation, he could probably pick a school where he wanted to go.”

Drake Stoops’ performance has continued to add to the “Stoops’” legacy at Oklahoma. But as the redshirt sophomore continues to blaze his own trail, there is a certain sense of what could have been if his father Bob was still the coach. Or maybe more specifically, what might not have been.

“I don’t really know [if the decision would have been the same],” Drake said of his decision to play at Oklahoma. “It’s kind of worked out the way it did. I had a chance to be a player and make a name for myself and choose my own path. [Riley] said he thinks I have the talent to be a player for them, so I took that into account, I always bet on myself and had confidence I could play anywhere in the country.”

Still, the accomplishments of his father at the University of Oklahoma is a hard shadow to shake. Bob Stoops is the all-time winningest coach in Oklahoma football history and a statue of Coach Stoops is located just outside the south entrance to Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

“I’m reminded every second of every day, trust me, that’s part of living here,” Drake said with a smile. “It is definitely cool, especially given family history and having lived here so long. But I don’t put too much emphasis on it or think about it too much in the end. To me I’m going out and playing ball with my teammates and trying to get the job done.”

“I’ve got pictures of him as a baby waddling around the field when Carole brought him out to our first media day so it’s neat when he’s out there fulfilling his dream making plays,” Bob Stoops said. “I’m just wanting him to let go and be like any other guy out there.”

While the history of his last name is special and its legacy undeniable, what Drake has been able to do on the field has continued to create a special role for him on this team.

“He’s been huge. It was definitely a spark to get him back,” Riley said of Drake’s return after missing the opener. “That’s been one of the positions that we’ve been hit hardest. We’re playing without a lot of people there. And he’s done a great job. Stepped in, made some big plays for us, played a lot of snaps.

Despite only being a redshirt sophomore, he has already shown a leadership gene that is part of his DNA.

“I think he’s a young leader. I do,” Riley said. “Not crazy vocal, but one of those guys that more leads by example in the way he does things.”

As the Sooners’ season progresses, so will the role of Drake. As an inside receiver, he has already become a trusted target of redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler. The chemistry between the two was developed through a unique and challenging offseason.

“That chemistry happens over the offseason,” Drake said. “Being around each other, working out, grinding hard with the guy next to you… it’s not just Spencer but it’s everyone. You see a guy working his butt off, you’re working just as hard, you develop a bond.”

Drake has already become a household name among Oklahoma Sooner fans. Every play that Drake makes is met with a roar of, “STOOOOOOOPS” from the fans in the stands. While his last name is legendary, Drake doesn’t allow himself to spend too much time thinking about those who have paved the trail before him. He is firmly focused on one thing: winning. And being the best teammate, inside receiver and Oklahoma Sooner he can possibly be. – BSM