Lincoln Riley: Chandler Morris' exit 'a little unexpected' but OU won't jump in portal 'rat race'

Oklahoma coach said the transfer portal will present opportunities but he has 'good options' and will be 'patient' in replacing Spencer Rattler's backup

Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said he was caught off guard by freshman quarterback Chandler Morris’ announcement Thursday to enter the transfer portal.

“That one was a little bit unexpected,” Riley said Friday on a Zoom call with OU beat reporters to wrap up the 2020 season. “So, we’ll evaluate it.”

Chandler Morris / Sue Ogrocki-Pool Photo

Morris’ departure leaves OU with one scholarship quarterback currently on the roster in starter Spencer Rattler. Incoming freshman Caleb Williams — SI All-American’s No. 1 overall player in the 2021 class — seems capable of getting plenty of snaps in his first year.

But having just two scholarship quarterbacks seems risky. To that end, the transfer portal works both ways and is always open.

“One thing, I’m not going to rush into it,” Riley said. “With any of these, it’s a little bit of a concern with the transfer portal right now.

“Right now, it seems like a rat race, people just scoop people up. I want to make sure we’re bringing in the right kind of people. People that are going to fit in with our culture. So we’ll be patient with it.”

There have been reports of nearly 100 quarterbacks currently in the transfer portal, though the actual number can’t be substantiated.

“We’ll evaluate that group,” Riley said. “We’ve got some good options. Kind of like we’ve done in the past. If we get to the point we feel like we need somebody else in the room, we’ll pursue it.

“We’ve gone into years with two scholarship quarterbacks, and done OK. Not scared of it. Just got to evaluate it, evaluate what’s out there, and see if there’s anything that makes sense for us.”

Finding another quarterback became paramount for Riley, who lost both of his backup to the portal. Soon after the Big 12 title game, Tanner Mordecai transferred to SMU. Morris announced his news Thursday, a day after the Cotton Bowl.

Morris, from Dallas, announced in January, between the early signing period and National Signing Day, that he had signed with the Sooners. He played in five games as a freshman, completing 3-of-5 passes for 39 yards and rushing five times for 44 yards and scoring two touchdowns, including one on the opening drive of the Big 12 Championship Game victory over Iowa State.

Rattler, a redshirt freshman from Phoenix, earned first-team All-Big 12 accolades while completing 67.5 percent of his passes (214-of-317) for 3,031 yards with 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for six touchdowns.