Oklahoma showed up all over ESPN’s all-time jersey number rankings, with four Sooners landing at the top of their numbers and 12 more finishing as runners-up in the panel’s list of the best college players to ever wear 0 through 99.
The four Oklahoma players ESPN selected as the greatest at their numbers were Baker Mayfield at No. 6, Caleb Williams at No.
13, Tommy McDonald at No. 25 and Ricky Dixon at No. 29.
Together, they span four different decades of Sooners football and give Oklahoma a strong footprint in a study that tried to sort college history by jersey number.
Mayfield’s Oklahoma run from 2015 to 2017 made him the choice at No. 6.
After transferring from Texas Tech, he helped lead the Sooners to College Football Playoff trips in 2015 and 2017. His career numbers at OU were massive: second in FBS history in passing efficiency rating at 175.4, third in passing yards per attempt at 9.7, fourth in career touchdowns with 131 and fifth in total offense with 15,690.
Williams is a little different case, since he finished at USC and won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 in his final season. But ESPN credited his Oklahoma start under Lincoln Riley, where he began his college career in 2021 and set freshman records with 1,912 passing yards and 21 touchdowns.
McDonald was a two-time All-American halfback who played on Bud Wilkinson’s national championship teams in 1955 and 1956. Oklahoma never lost with him in the lineup, going 31-0 over his three seasons. That stretch also came during the Sooners’ record 47-game winning streak, and McDonald capped 1956 by winning the Maxwell Award as the nation’s most outstanding college player.
Dixon claimed the No. 29 spot after a standout career from 1984 to 1987 under Barry Switzer. He finished with 170 total tackles and 17 interceptions, just one short of the school record.
His nine interceptions in 1987 remain the program’s single-season record, and Oklahoma went 42-5-1 during his four years, including the 1986 Orange Bowl win over No. 1 Penn State that delivered the Sooners’ sixth national championship.
Oklahoma’s presence was only part of the broader picture. Ohio State led all schools with nine players represented among the top 100 jersey numbers.
USC followed with six, while Miami and Notre Dame each had five. Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota and Pittsburgh each had four.
The Sooners also had a long list of players who finished just behind ESPN’s No. 1 picks for their numbers. The 12 runners-up were Kyler Murray at No.
1, Jason White at No. 18, Adrian Peterson at No.
28, Greg Pruitt at No. 30, Billy Vessels at No.
35, Steve Owens at No. 36, Roy Williams at No.
38, Rod Shoate at No. 43, Jerry Tubbs at No.
53, Ryan Broyles at No. 85, Tony Casillas at No. 92 and Lee Roy Selmon at No.
ESPN’s choices ahead of those Oklahoma standouts were Larry Fitzgerald at No. 1, Archie Manning at No.
18, Marshall Faulk at No. 28, Mike Rozier at No.
30, Doc Blanchard at No. 35, Chris Spielman at No.
36, George Rogers at No. 38, Tony Polamalu at No.
43, Randy Gradishar at No. 53, Jim Seymour at No.
85, Reggie White at No. 92 and Ndamukong at No. 93.
In Other News...
Chet Holmgren And Jared McCain Are Already Key To OKC's Next Step
Chet Holmgren and Jared McCain spent part of the offseason in Los Angeles working side by side, a reminder of how much the Thunders future already runs through a pair of young players still sharpening different parts of their games. Holmgren, in a group of NBA players taking part in workouts, focused on pull-up jumpers, while McCain put his attention on isolation skills, two areas that speak directly to how Oklahoma City wants its next wave to grow.
The Thunder are being viewed as co-favorites with the San Antonio Spurs for the 2026-27 season, and that status has a lot to do with the expectation that Holmgren and McCain will carry major roles by then. For Oklahoma City, the offseason work matters because it is less about where these two are today than how quickly they can become central pieces when the next step arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylin Williams Is Becoming Too Important For OKC To Overlook
Jaylin Williams has turned a breakout season into something more meaningful for Oklahoma City, carving out a place in the Thunder rotation that now looks hard to ignore. His improved three-point shooting has changed how defenses have to treat him, and the work he put in to slim down has helped him become quicker while still giving OKC the size and toughness it wants in the frontcourt.
The next step is about proving this level is real and sustainable heading into the 2026-27 NBA season. Williams will need to keep producing, stay a legitimate outside threat and continue showing he can handle multiple frontcourt spots, because the Thunder are increasingly counting on that kind of versatility from one of their key role players. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Face An Opening Night Choice That Could Shape Their Identity
Oklahoma Citys offseason shuffle has left one of its most important questions pointed squarely at opening night: who gets the last starting spot around a core that already includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. With Luguentz Dort moved out and new faces added through the draft, the Thunder are not just filling a vacancy, they are choosing a tone for the next phase of the roster.
The answer will say plenty about what kind of team they want to be right away. One option brings the kind of defensive edge that has long been part of Oklahoma Citys identity, while the other offers a more scoring-driven look and the promise of growth. However the decision goes, it will tell a lot about how the Thunder plan to balance continuity, upside and fit from the first tip of the season. [Read more 🡒]