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Oklahoma's Top 20 recruiting what-ifs, No. 4: Jermie Calhoun

Oklahoma's backfield was already loaded when he arrived, and it only got more crowded after he suffered a knee injury

John E. Hoover

Jermie Calhoun's bio in the 2008 OU media guide
Jermie Calhoun's bio in the 2008 OU media guide

On the heels of Adrian Peterson and DeMarco Murray’s seven years of record-setting excellence, Oklahoma signed three 5-star running backs.

Jermie Calhoun might have been the best of the three.

Jermie Calhoun
Jermie Calhoun / OU Athletics

The 6-foot, 210-pound Calhoun arrived at Oklahoma in 2008 regarded as the top running back in the nation, the best player in Texas, and a sure-fire star in Kevin Wilson’s offense.

Jermie Calhoun
Jermie Calhoun / Photo provided

But the competition at running back was fierce. Justin Johnson came to OU in the same class as Calhoun, Brandon Williams got there a couple years later, and between Murray, Chris Brown, Brennan Clay, Roy Finch and a sandwich artist by the name of Dominique Whaley, the OU backfield became a crowded place.

Calhoun was a Parade All-American, was SuperPrep’s Southwest Offensive player of the year and was also named the Texas Class 3A Player of the year at Van High School.

Jermie Calhoun
Jermie Calhoun / Photo provided

He was rated by Rivals as the No. 2 running back in the country, the No. 2 prospect in Texas, and the No. 19 overall recruit nationally. 247 Sports had him rated even higher — the No. 2 running back in the country, the No. 1 player in Texas, and the No. 9 overall recruit nationally. ESPN rated Calhoun as the No. 1 running back and the No. 7 overall player.

Calhoun redshirted in 2008, then was behind Murray and Brown in 2009. In 2010, he injured a knee and played in only four games. Late in the 2011 offseason, Calhoun decided to transfer closer to his hometown of Van, TX, and ended up at Division II Angelo State in San Angelo.

Jermie Calhoun at Angelo State
Jermie Calhoun at Angelo State / Angelo State Athletics

He played two seasons for the Rams and ran for 1,270 yards and eight touchdowns.

During his three years at Oklahoma, Calhoun rushed for 242 yards in 16 games.

Calhoun married his high school sweetheart, and today he owns and operates ReBirth Performance, an athlete training center in Van.

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This series

National Signing Day is around the corner, so SI Sooners is examining Oklahoma’s biggest recruiting what-ifs of the last 20 years.

This is about players who arrived (or almost arrived) at Oklahoma but then, for whatever reason, left well before they reached their potential.

This is what college football recruiting is all about: the risk-reward that comes with not knowing a prospect's potential. For every Adrian Peterson, there's a Rhett Bomar. For every Tommie Harris, there's a Moe Dampeer.

The time period is since 2000, when online recruiting services and the current "star" system became prominent.

The rankings were compiled by SI Sooners publisher John Hoover, Sports Animal host Al Eschbach, KREF host James Hale and Sooner Spectator publisher Jay Upchurch.

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How Hoover voted:

I ranked Jermie Calhoun at No. 7 in my top 20. He and Justin Johnson of Gilmer, TX, gave OU the top two running backs in the Lone Star State, and most who followed recruiting just assumed that Calhoun was headed for stardom in Norman. The knee injury certainly set him back, and Cale Gundy and Kevin Wilson kept recruiting so many quality running backs.

No. 4 on my list was 2004 linebacker Chris Patterson. You can read about Patterson at the link on the list below.

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Top 20 Oklahoma Recruiting What-Ifs

(since 2000)

Published
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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