Keith Nichol kept insisting he was staying at Oklahoma.
But in the end, the sophomore quarterback has decided to split.
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Thursday, Nichol informed Sooner coach Bob Stoops that he is leaving OU and transferring to another school.
“It was a great discussion,” said Gary Nichol, Keith’s father. “We have a very high opinion of coach Stoops. Keith always loved OU and always will.
“It just came down to him wanting a chance to play.”
Last spring, Nichol, a highly touted recruit out of Grand Rapids, Mich., enrolled at OU early with hopes of winning the vacant starting quarterback job.
But in a three-way battle between Nichol, redshirt freshman Sam Bradford and junior Joey Halzle that carried into the fall, Bradford was named the starter.
Bradford went on to lead the nation in passing efficiency last season and broke the NCAA single-season record for touchdown passes by a freshman with 36.
“I was disappointed, I'm not going to lie,” Nichol admitted during spring drills.
Eventually, Nichol fell behind Halzle on the depth chart last season as well.
When Bradford was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the first quarter at Texas Tech, Halzle was inserted into the lineup for the rest of the night instead of Nichol.
On top of that, four-star quarterback Landry Jones enrolled at OU early this spring, crowding the position further.
But even falling victim to a logjam at quarterback, Nichol maintained throughout the spring that he wasn’t considering transferring.
“A lot of people ask me, ‘Why aren't you going somewhere else?’” Nichol said early in the spring. “I love OU, I love the people here. Worst-case scenario, you get a free education. It's really not a bad deal. I'm staying for a lot of reasons.
“If I had to transfer I'd still have to compete for a starting spot. So, I'm not going to sit here and compete for a second spot. I'm here to compete for the top.”
But during the spring, it became apparent that Halzle had solidified himself as the No. 2 quarterback.
In the first two open scrimmages, Halzle completed 59 percent of his passes for 234 yards and no turnovers.
Nichol, meanwhile, connected on just 29 percent of his throws for 113 yards and three interceptions.
Friday, the 6-foot-2, 204-pound Nichol did not indicate which colleges he might be considering.
In the beginning, many thought Nichol would stay home and attend Michigan State.
But before Nichol could sign with the Spartans, head coach John L. Smith was fired, leaving Nichol looking at other options.
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Keith, the OU fans love and respect you. We admire your courage for coming to OU and trying to win the starting job. You no doubt raised the competition.
You and your family are a class act. Best of luck wherever you go. You'll always be a Sooner in our hearts. We'll be pulling for you. Good luck!
Keith, hopefully there will be no idiotic writers where you go so that you can be free and clear of the "Kid Nichol" moniker the idiot around here kept using when he referred to you.
Mister and Paul in Yukon post all over this paper and do nothing but gripe about Oklahoma and how bad everything pertaining to Oklahoma is. They complain when there are good things to report and complain when there are bad things. Its too bad there are trolls like them who are miserable in their lives and feel like taking everyone else down with them.
I think when Landry Jones came in this spring he saw his talent and natural ability, he saw the reality he might not ever start. Keith wised up and is leaving for the right reasons. From what I saw these last two springs he should transfer to a lower tier bcs school, and have a realistic shot at playing time. If he transferred to Michigan he would get lost in the shuffle by a hot shot five star recruit or two eventually.
Good luck to you Keith! Us OU fans were grateful you came to us when you had chances to go elsewhere. Many of us were pulling for you to be on the field and we are saddened to hear you are leaving. We will be watching you where ever it is you decide to go and we'll be pulling for you. Once a Sooner ALWAYS a Sooner! Best of luck...
Go and have a great career, Keith. Distinguish yourself like Troy Aikman did and I hope you are just as successful. Something tells me that the competition you provided for Bradford and Halzle made them even better, thanks for your contribution to Sooner football.
Halzle was simply better than many people thought he'd be... plus, he seems confident in his role. He was a juco QB, which means he wasn't highly touted out of high school. For him, second string at OU is a huge step up. Nichol was touted out of high school. For him, 3rd string at OU is a dissappointment. Plus, the timing was off for him, unless he came in a blew the doors off of Halzle, which he didn't. And, now I'm sure he feels his college career is running out of time. Jones, on the other hand, can come in, redshirt perhaps, do a year on the bench, and still have 2+ seasons at the helm if his skills and talents merit that. The timing for him is right. For Nichol, I wish him good luck.
wtf kind of comment is that mister? i am from the great state of oklahoma and i am proudly serving in iraq right now. i didn't join the army to get out of oklahoma, i joined to serve my country and do a job my kids could be proud of. when i retire i plan on coming back to oklahoma city. i really hate seeing stupidity in this country but its a part of life, but i still love my country.
I remember in the winter of 06 when OU was desperately searching for a QB and we got this kid and he was gonna be the savior of the program, and all along we already had the guy on campus...i think we as fans sometimes discount the local guys before they ever get a chance (jason white and bradford) just because we've heard of them before they get to OU. I know that the "5 star" rated out of state guys (Rawls, Grady, Bomar) have failed miserably. I think the in state guys just understand the tradition alot better and it means more to them. Maybe Landry Jones will be an exception to the rule.
I remember in the winter of 06 when OU was desperately searching for a QB and we got this kid and he was gonna be the savior of the program, and all along we already had the guy on campus...i think we as fans sometimes discount the local guys before they ever get a chance (jason white and bradford) just because we've heard of them before they get to OU. I know that the "5 star" rated out of state guys (Rawls, Grady, Bomar) have failed miserably. I think the in state guys just understand the tradition alot better and it means more to them. Maybe Landry Jones will be an exception to the rule.
I'm happy for him. Although it's an enviable problem to have, having potentially great players not playing bothers me. I've always thought Keith has some greatness in him an it would be a shame if his skills never reach the field--which was the situation he faced at OU. So, I'll look forward to watching him in other colors...
OU's statement regarding Nichol's transfer 05/09/2008 NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma head football coach Bob Stoops said today that quarterback Keith Nichol is transferring away from the Sooner program. He did not...
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You and your family are a class act. Best of luck wherever you go. You'll always be a Sooner in our hearts. We'll be pulling for you. Good luck!
Boomer Sooner!!