Oklahoma QBs starting in the NFL: How every Sooners QB1 from 2015-2023 became a starter in 2025

Things are pretty good in Norman, Okla. these days. In college football, the Oklahoma Sooners are typically in the hunt for an SEC title and the College Football Playoff. 

In the NFL, former Oklahoma quarterbacks are all over the league starting on Sundays. In fact, every single former starting Oklahoma quarterback from 2015-2023 is a starter for their respective NFL teams. That’s a pretty impressive feat. 

Let’s take a look at all the former Sooners lighting up defenses on Sundays, including how they became QB No. 1s on their squads. 

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Oklahoma QBs in the NFL

From Baker Mayfield to Dillon Gabriel, here’s a look at each former Oklahoma quarterback that’s an NFL starter. 

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Baker Mayfield 

• Years at Oklahoma: 2015-2017
• Oklahoma record and stats: 39-9, 12,292 yards passing with a 131 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. 893 yards rushing with 18 touchdowns
• NFL Draft: 1st overall in 2018 by the Cleveland Browns
• Years and teams in the NFL: 2018-Present with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
• NFL record and stats: 54-54 overall as a starter, 26,115 yards passing with an 181:91 TD/INT ratio with a 63.6 pass completion percentage. 1,345 yards rushing with 10 touchdowns. 

Baker Mayfield started his career at Texas Tech, but he transferred to Oklahoma, where he was named the Sooners’ starter for the 2015 season. 

Over three seasons with Oklahoma, Mayfield threw for 12,292 yards with 119 touchdowns and just 21 interceptions. He rushed for another 893 yards with 18 touchdowns, as well. In 2017, he won the Heisman Trophy and helped lead the Sooners to a Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff berth. 

Unlike his collegiate career, Mayfield has had a bit of a journeyman career in the league. He was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2018. But Cleveland’s failure to develop quarterbacks continued as Mayfield went 29-30 as a starter. His lone bright spot came during the Browns’ 2020 11-5 finish. 

In July 2022, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers, where he finished 1-5 as a starter, throwing for just 1,313 yards and six touchdowns with six interceptions. He was waived by the Panthers in December 2022. 

In a wild twist of fate, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams claimed Mayfield off waivers a day after he was cut. The Rams were set to face the Las Vegas Raiders on a short week for Thursday Night Football. Mayfield helped lead Los Angeles to a 17-16 win with an eight-play, 98-yard touchdown drive. 

Mayfield ended the 2022 season with the Rams, and although he finished 1-3 as a starter, he threw for 850 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

In March 2023, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Mayfield as a free agent. Over three seasons, he thrived in Tampa, leading the Bucs to the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, while throwing for a career high  9,827 yards with 79 touchdowns and 27 interceptions and is a two-time Pro Bowler. He’s rushed for 685 yards and four more touchdowns as well.

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Kyler Murray

• Years at Oklahoma: 2017-2018
• Oklahoma record and stats: 12-2 as a starter, 5,406 yards passing with 45 touchdowns, 7 interceptions. 1,143 yard rushing with 12 touchdowns
• NFL Draft: 1st overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019
• Years and teams in the NFL: 2019-Present, Arizona Cardinals
• NFL record and stats: 38-48-1 overall as a starter, 20,460 yards passing, 141-to-60 TD/INT ratio with a 67.1 completion percentage. 3,193 yards rushing with 32 touchdowns

Kyler Murray started his college career at Texas A&M, but he transferred after the 2015 season. He spent 2017 backing up Mayfield and was named the starter for the Sooners’ 2018 season. He had a breakout year, throwing for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns, which led the country. He threw just seven interceptions and rushed for another 1,001 yards and 12 scores on the ground.

He won the Heisman Trophy that season, while helping lead the Sooners to a Big 12 title and CFP berth against Alabama. 

Murray was drafted No. 1 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was also selected in the MLB Draft by the Athletics, but after being drafted by Arizona, he put baseball in the rearview mirror.

One of his best seasons with the Cardinals came in 2021, as he helped Arizona finish 9-5 with a wild-card playoff berth against the Los Angeles Rams. Murray threw for a career-high 3,787 yards and completed 69.2 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. 

In December 2022, Murray suffered a torn ACL which caused him to miss the first nine games of the 2023 season. In his first eight games back, he threw for 1,799 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions, including 244 yards and three scores on the ground. The Cardinals finished 8-9 in 2024, as Murray threw for 3,851 yards with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. So far in 2025, Murray has thrown for 962 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. The Cardinals are 2-3 on the season.

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2019: Jalen Hurts

• Years at Oklahoma: 2019
• Oklahoma record and stats: 12-2 as a starter, 3,851 yards passing with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. 1,298 yards rushing with 20 touchdowns  
• NFL Draft: 53rd overall pick in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020
• Years and teams in the NFL: Philadelphia Eagles, 2020-Present 
• NFL record and stats: 51-20 overall as a starter, 15,556 yards passing, 92-to-39 TD/INT ratio with a 64.5 completion percentage. 3,315 yards rushing with 59 touchdowns

Jalen Hurts started his college career at Alabama, where he compiled a 26-2 record as a starter in 2016 and 2017. During the 2018 CFP national championship, Hurts was benched in favor of true freshman Tua Tagovailoa. He remained with the Tide for the 2018 season as a backup. But coming off the bench for an injured Tagovailoa, he helped the Tide get a come-from-behind win over Georgia in the SEC Championship game. 

He transferred to Oklahoma for the 2019 season, where had the best season of his collegiate career. He threw for 3,851 yards with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions and rushed for 1,298 yards and 20 touchdowns. He led the Sooners to a Big 12 Championship and CFP berth and later declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. 

He was drafted in the second round of the draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, selected 53rd overall. During his rookie season, he saw action in five games in relief of an injured Carson Wentz, throwing for 1,062 yard with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Head coach Doug Pederson was fired shortly after the 2020 season, and the Eagles hired Nick Sirianni in 2021. 

Sirianni named Hurts the starter ahead of the 2021 season. Since then, Hurts has compiled a 50-21 record as a starter, including a combined 37-10 from 2022-24. He won his first Super Bowl in 2024 with the Eagles, and has thrown for 15,556 yards with 92 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. He’s rushed for 3,315 yards with 59 touchdowns in his career, as well. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler.

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2020: Spencer Rattler 

• Years at Oklahoma: 2019-2021
• Oklahoma record and stats: 15-2 as a starter, 4,595 passing yards with 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. 260 yards rushing with nine touchdowns
• NFL Draft: 150th overall in the fifth round in 2024 by the New Orleans Saints
• Years and teams in the NFL: 2024-Present, New Orleans Saints
• NFL record and stats: 1-10 overall as a starter, 2,307 yards passing, 10-to-6 TD/INT ratio with a 61.5 completion percentage. 269 yards rushing 

Spencer Rattler is a former No. 1 overall quarterback recruit from the class of 2019. He started his career at Oklahoma, throwing for 3,031 yards with 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2020. But during the 2021 season, Rattler threw 10 interceptions in Oklahoma’s first seven games. He was benched at halftime against Texas for his backup Caleb Williams and transferred to South Carolina in the 2021 offseason. 

Over two years with South Carolina in 2022 and 2023, he played well, throwing for 6,212 yards with 37 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Rattler started the season behind starting quarterback Derek Carr, along with Jake Haener. But when Carr suffered an injury in Week 5, Rattler came off the bench. The Saints lost 51-27 to the Bucs, but Rattler threw for 243 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also fumbled twice, one of which was returned for a touchdown. He left the game late with a hip injury. 

During his rookie season, he played in six games, throwing for 1,317 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. 

In 2025, he’s been New Orleans’ surprise starter, as Carr announced his retirement ahead of the season and beating out rookie Tyler Shough. So far, he’s thrown for 990 yards with six touchdowns and an interception. He led New Orleans to a 26-14 over the New York Giants in Week 5, as Rattler threw for 225 yards with a touchdown in the victory.  

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Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images

2021: Caleb Williams 

• Years at Oklahoma: 2021
• Oklahoma record and stats: 5-2 record as a starter,  1,912 yards passing with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. 442 yards rushing with six touchdowns. 
• NFL Draft: 1st overall by the Chicago Bears in 2024
• Years and teams in the NFL: Chicago Bears, 2024-Present
• NFL record and stats: 7-14 overall as a starter, 4,468 yards passing, 28-to-8 TD/INT ratio with a 62.4 completion percentage. 599 yards rushing with a touchdown 

Caleb Williams had a surprise breakout season at Oklahoma in 2021. Coming off the bench against Texas for Rattler, he helped lead Oklahoma to a 55-48 come-from-behind win over the Longhorns. He remained the starter the rest of the season, as he led Oklahoma an 11-2 finish. 

He then followed his head coach Lincoln Riley to USC, where he played two seasons in 2022 and 2023. During the 2022 season, he won the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He added 10 rushing scores and USC finished 11-3. 

In 2023, Williams regressed, throwing for just 3,633 yards with 30 touchdowns and five interceptions. USC finished 7-5 on the year, as Williams finished out his collegiate career losing five of his last six games.  

Still, his college career was impressive enough for the Chicago Bears to draft him No. 1 overall in 2024. During his rookie season, Williams went through multiple coaching changes, including the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus midseason. He threw for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions as the Bears limped to a 5-12 finish.

In the 2024 offseason, the Bears hired longtime Detroit Lions Ben Johnson as their new head coach. Although Chicago has started 2-2 on the season, Williams has thrown for 927 yards so far with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He threw for 298 yards with four touchdowns during Chicago’s 31-14 Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys.  

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2022-23 Dillon Gabriel 

• Years at Oklahoma: 2022-20223
• Oklahoma record and stats:  16-9 overall as a starter, 6,828 yards passing with 55 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and 688 yards rushing with 18 scores. 
• NFL Draft: 94th overall in the third round by the Cleveland Browns
• Years and teams in the NFL: Browns, 2025-Present
• NFL record and stats: 0-1 as a starter, 209 yards passing, 3-to-0 TD/INT ratio with a 59.5 completion percentage. 

Dillon Gabriel started his career at UCF, where he threw for 7,223 yards with 61 touchdowns and 11 touchdowns in 2019 and 2020. He suffered a season-ending broken clavicle injury early in the 2021 season and transferred to Oklahoma. 

He spent two seasons with the Sooners, helping lead Oklahoma to a 10-3 finish in 2023. He threw for 6,828 yards with 55 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, rushing for another 688 yards with 18 scores. Ahead of the 2024 season, Gabriel transferred to Oregon. He had his best season of his career with the Ducks, throwing for 3,857 yard and 30 touchdowns with six interceptions. Oregon finished the regular season 12-0, while defeating Penn State in the Big 10 Championship. But Oregon fell 41-21 to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal. 

Gabriel was drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, getting selected by the Cleveland Browns 94th overall. The Browns also drafted Shedeur Sanders and had Joe Flacco on its roster. Gabriel made it out of training camp and preseason as the Browns’ backup quarterback behind Flacco. 

But after the Browns opened the season 1-3, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski benched Flacco in favor of Gabriel ahead of Cleveland’s Week 5 London game vs. the Minnesota Vikings. 

In his first start, Gabriel threw for 190 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions in a 21-17 loss to the Vikings. The Browns have since traded Flacco to the Bengals, so this appears to be Gabriel’s team for the time being. 

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NFL starting QBs by school 2025

Here’s a look at all the current starting quarterbacks in the NFL heading into Week 6. Oklahoma leads the way, with six signal-callers representing the Sooners:

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