Long: Quarterback Race Likely to Last Until Fall

NORMAN, Okla. -- Paul Thompson, Rhett Bomar and Tommy Grady are constantly being watched. Every throw is evaluated. Every visit to the huddle has an eavesdropper. Every little thing counts.

After five spring practices, offensive coordinator Chuck Long said Wednesday he's nowhere near making a decision.

"There's no pecking order. Absolutely none," Long said. "It's all even and wide open."

The Sooners spent much of the session running drills on the practice field, then worked for about an hour in a scrimmage situation on Owen Field. Another practice is planned Friday before the first full scrimmage Saturday morning.

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In his evaluation, Long said he'll probably place an emphasis on scrimmages. The Sooners have three full scrimmages planned this spring, including the Red-White game on April 16. But the Sooners still may head into the fall without knowing who'll be their starter.

"If there's a clear front-runner by the end of spring, we certainly wouldn't cheat him and maybe we'd name a starter," Long said. "But right now, we'd like to keep that thing going. And the way it's panning out, it probably will."

Long said he hoped the quarterback race would end up being like the one between Nate Hybl and Jason White in 2001, when both entered the fall session with a chance at the starting job.

"We like the competition," Long said. "I especially like them competing over the course of the summer when the coaches aren't around and they still have to keep that competitive edge all the way into training camp."

For now, Long said he wants to see how much information the three quarterbacks can absorb and see which one develops into the best leader around the rest of the team. He said he'll also be figuring out each quarterback's physical strengths so he can emphasize those in the fall.

"The big thing is getting these guys to compete back-to-back plays and back-to-back practices," Long said. "Sometimes they get on this wave up and down a little bit, and you've got to get them to where they're climbing."

Long said he assesses the players every day, again at the end of every week and there'll be a bigger evaluation at the end of the spring. In the end, he'll have to decide which quarterback makes the best replacement for White, the 2003 Heisman Trophy winner. But that, he says, will be quite some time from now.

"I think that we expect great things from that position and have had great things from that position," Long said. "But at the same time we've got to go through some growing pains with these guys."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Long: Quarterback Race Likely to Last Until Fall

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