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Florida player who said Oklahoma was 'not on our level' has entered the transfer portal

Several Sooners said they were motivated by James Houston's lack of respect prior to OU's 55-20 victory over the Gators in the Cotton Bowl

John E. Hoover

James Houston, the Florida linebacker who said Oklahoma was “not on our level,” has decided to find different level.

Houston announced via Twitter on Wednesday that he was entering the NCAA transfer portal.

On Dec. 22, during virtual media day prior to the Cotton Bowl, Houston appeared with several teammates via video conferencing. Among his comments was a disrespect for Oklahoma that stirred the Sooners’ emotions in a 55-20 victory over the Gators on Dec. 30 in Arlington, TX.

“Oklahoma is a good matchup,” Houston said, “but they’re not on our level.”

“They’re not the SEC. They’re not the Florida Gators. So we should put on a good show.”

Oklahoma's Theo Wease runs past Florida's James Houston
Oklahoma's Theo Wease runs past Florida's James Houston / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

OU ran up a season-high 682 yards total offense on the Gators to go with its 55 points and averaged a school-record 10.9 yards per rush. Florida was without eight starters who either opted out, transferred or tested positive COVID. But the Sooners were also missing several key players.

After the game, several Oklahoma players said they were motivated by Houston’s disrespect.

“Florida, they were a good matchup,” said defensive end Isaiah Thomas. “But they aren’t the Big 12. They are not the Oklahoma Sooners.”

“We were just glad they showed up,” said OU captain Creed Humphrey, “and gave us a chance to play them.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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