Oklahoma football: OU signee Cody Thomas might have an immediate impact in baseball — and football

But Oklahoma's baseball coach didn't stop there.

“Nothing against the people we have here quarterbacking now, but don't rule out the young guy,” Golloway said. “Even though he won't get spring ball. ... I'm gonna make some other quarterbacks mad, but he's a baseball guy.

“I'm kinda lobbying that he might win the job.”

Thomas signed with OU's football team earlier this month. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound quarterback threw for 3,407 yards, 38 touchdowns and five interceptions as a senior at Colleyville (Texas) Heritage.

He's also a baseball standout, and likely will be selected in this summer's Major League Baseball Draft; Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops, though, said at his signing day news conference that he expects Thomas will end up in Norman, and Golloway agrees.

“I don't think he's gonna get enough money,” Golloway said. “I think he is gonna get drafted in the fourth or fifth round, but he loves it here.

“There's an awful lot of worrying, ‘Is he gonna sign?' ... I don't think he's gonna sign.”

Golloway said his program had its eye on Thomas before OU's football program did.

“(Assistant coach Jack) Giese was on him early,” Golloway said. “He came to me and said, ‘Coach, we're gonna have to have some help. He wants to play two sports.'

“So we called Coach (Josh) Heupel and said, ‘You've gotta go see this kid, Cody Thomas.' He went down there and saw him, and called us right back and said, ‘We're gonna offer him.'

“I promise you. Baseball was on him. I'm not taking anything away from football, because you know what? It gives us a free scholarship with them offering him. We like that.”

As for any potential conflict between the football and baseball programs, both Stoops and Golloway have insisted sharing Thomas' services will be easier than most people think.