Oklahoma's Top 20 recruiting what-ifs, No. 9: Michiah Quick

Versatility was Michiah Quick's calling card, and he became an OU starter on both sides of the football before transferring to Fresno State

John E. Hoover | Jan 26, 2021

Michiah Quick's bio in the 2014 OU media guide

Whether it was on offense or defense, you always knew Michiah Quick would be something to watch.

Quick came to Oklahoma in the Class of 2014 — over offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, USC and others — and immediately stood out, but he stayed just three seasons and tried multiple positions before before he was injured and dismissed from the team. He transferred back home and finished his career at Fresno State.

The 5-foot-11, 184-pound Quick was rated as the nation’s No. 4 athlete by Rivals, and No. 6 by ESPN. His athletic ability helped him catch 25 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman, and his versatility helped him switch the other side of the ball and become a starter on defense in 2016.

Quick played in all 13 games, made two starts and had his best game in November against Baylor, when he caught six passes for 94 yards, had a 54-yard reception and caught an 8-yard touchdown from Trevor Knight.

As a sophomore, however, his playing time dwindled as he caught nine passes for 103 yards.

Michiah Quick vs. Ohio State in 2016 / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

He switched to defensive back in 2014, and became somewhat iconic that season as Ohio State’s Noah Brown caught one of his four touchdowns against the Sooners with his arms wrapped around Quick and the ball pinned to Quick’s back.

Quick played well enough in the loss to the Buckeyes that he won the starting job, and started the next two games against TCU and Texas. He suffered a knee injury against the Longhorns, however, and didn’t play again. Ahead of the 2016 Bedlam game, Bob Stoops announced that Quick had been dismissed from the team for violation of team rules but would be allowed to use the team facilities to complete his knee rehab.

Michiah Quick celebrates his touchdown against Boise State in 2018 / Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

Quick transferred to Fresno State, sat out 2017 and finished his career as a Bulldogs wide receiver in 2018. He played in eight games with five starts during his final season, caught 16 passes for 144 yards and caught the opening touchdown in Fresno State’s 19-16 win over No. 19 Boise State in the 2018 Mountain West Championship Game.

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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 didn't rank Michiah Quick in my top 20. He makes an argument, however, as one of the most versatile athletes during the entire Bob Stoops era, having started games on both offense and defense. His high school productivity hinted that he'd be the next Ryan Broyles (Broyles was also offered as a Division I cornerback). New Sooner Billy Bowman reminds many of Quick with elite explosiveness and versatility.

No. 9 on my list was 2002 athlete DaBryan Blanton. I'll admit this is a little bit of a stretch because Blanton apparently never really gave football strong consideration. He earned 4-star recognition because of his blazing speed, and he plied that into a college track career. He was a three-time Big 12 Conference 100-meter champion, and during his freshman year at OU, he tied the American Junior record by running 10.07. He had a great track career, but imagine that speed on the 2002-05 Sooners as a wide receiver.

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Top 20 Oklahoma Recruiting What-Ifs

(since 2000)

Published Jan 26, 2021

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.