NORMAN - Rocky Beers has spent enough time around college football to know the grind. He’s been through redshirts, reserve snaps, a season-ending injury and a transfer path that’s taken him from Air Force to Florida International to Colorado State and now Oklahoma.
But this chapter comes with a new title that matters just as much as any depth-chart label: dad.
On a hot Walk of Champions stroll along Brooks Mall, Beers had one of those moments where everything came together at once. Fans in crimson and cream lined the route.
Tailgate tents filled the scene. The party at the palace buzzed nearby.
Then Beers found the smallest, most important face in the crowd - his months-old son, Reuben, sitting in the front row behind the barriers in a red OU hat and baby earmuffs.
For a player trying to establish himself at a major program, it was more than a routine pregame moment. It was a reminder that his life has expanded far beyond football.
“It is a lot for sure,” Rocky’s father, Ike Beers, told The Oklahoman.
Beers is handling the demands of a new offense, a move into the SEC and a tight ends room led by future NFL Hall of Famer Jason Witten, all while learning what it means to be a husband to Karissa and a father to Reuben. That balance has shaped how he lives, how he leads and how he fits into a locker room full of younger teammates.
“Rocky has been a joy to coach,” Sooners offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “He's a joy to be around every single day. And once you're around him enough and you understand his personality, you really find that he's an incredible man.
“Not only is he married and has a kid, but the amount of care he has for his teammates and the amount of care he has for the game of football is something that, as a coach, you love seeing every day. It's like - OK, he’s one of your best players and he cares.”
That care has shown up on the field, too. Last season at Colorado State, Beers made nine starts and finished with 31 catches for 388 yards and seven touchdowns. That production opened the door to the transfer portal this offseason, and it brought interest from some of the top schools in the country.
OU already had a family connection. Beers had been exposed to Norman during his sister Raegan’s initial visit, and the Beers family had already fallen for the place when the former Sooners women’s basketball star made it home for her final two college seasons.
When Oklahoma came calling for Rocky, the fit felt natural.
Ike and his wife, Kari, prayed that Rocky and Karissa would land in the right place to start raising Reuben. Norman seemed like the answer. The family also got to spend the spring together in the same town as Raegan, which only added to the appeal.
“We wanted God to put Rocky where he was supposed to be, so we didn't know exactly where that was going to be,” Ike said. “But we all as a family are all really excited and happy that it turned out to be Oklahoma because it's been a great year for him. He's made some great friends on the team, his coaches and in the community, so it was just a real blessing.”
Inside the locker room, Beers has picked up another nickname: “Gramps.” He’s approaching 25 and carries himself like one of the steadier voices in Witten’s tight ends group, which also includes Florida transfer Hayden Hansen, Tennessee transfer Jack van Dorselaer and Trynae Washington.
And the football part has been pretty good, too. Beers caught two passes for 43 yards and a hurdling touchdown in the season opener against UTEP. He followed that with team highs of six catches and 94 yards against Michigan.
“He's great at creating separation,” Arbuckle said. “He has unbelievable hands.
You take that talent and you put it together with everything else and that's where you get such a high level of consistency. Rocky continues to show that every day.”
The Beers family has plenty going on beyond Norman. Raegan, after going undrafted, has appeared in 34 WNBA games this season for the Connecticut Sun. Rowdy is finishing his degree, and Rylie is trying to earn a bigger role on Belmont’s basketball team this season.
For Ike, the football success is only part of the story. Watching Rocky perform on one of college football’s biggest stages means a lot. Watching him do it while putting his family first means even more.
Kari was in Ann Arbor, Michigan, last weekend, and Ike will be at Saturday’s game against New Mexico. They keep showing up when they can, following a son whose football path has stretched across the country.
Now, though, the biggest thing about Rocky Beers isn’t where the next stop is or how many catches he makes.
He’s “Gramps” in the locker room.
He’s dad at home.
“He's grown into a great young man, husband and father,” Ike said. “I couldn't be more proud of him.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Got A Concerning Injury Update On A Key Receiver
Oklahomas passing game took a hit with the latest update on Trell Harris, who has been ruled out indefinitely because of an internal abdominal injury. For a Sooners offense that could use every healthy target it can get, losing a receiver of Harris importance changes the feel of the room right away and leaves the staff adjusting its plans as the schedule keeps moving.
The timing is especially uneasy because several other programs around the country are also juggling injury questions, with key players from LSU, Florida and UCLA all dealing with issues that could affect upcoming games. For Oklahoma, the bigger concern is how long this absence lingers and what it means for a receiver group that now has to absorb another blow without knowing when Harris might be back. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield Just Made Oklahomas Michigan Loss Even Tougher To Swallow
Michigans win over Oklahoma already stung plenty, but the postgame scene made it feel even more pointed. Baker Mayfield showed up for his press conference wearing a Michigan jersey, and head coach Todd Bowles added to the moment by singing the Wolverines fight song, a victory lap that came after a defense-led performance built on pressure and disruption.
Troy Bowles was right in the middle of it, leading Michigan with nine tackles as the linebacker group helped set the tone again. Even with offseason departures, that unit has looked steady through two weeks, and the numbers from this one told the story: two turnovers, three sacks and eight tackles for loss. For Oklahoma, the loss on the field was tough enough, but the optics afterward only made it harder to shake. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Offense Has An Early Fix Fans Already Want More Of
Oklahomas offense showed one of its clearer adjustments against Michigan, leaning less often on 12-personnel than it did in the season opener against UTEP. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle has pointed to the flexibility of both 12- and 13-personnel sets as ways to help the attack stay balanced and take some heat off the offensive line, which makes the usage worth watching as the Sooners sort through what traveled and what didnt in the first two games.
The package also intersected with a wider contrast in individual performances, with quarterback John Mateer struggling against Michigan while tight end Rocky Beers remained a bright spot. Even with the loss still fresh, the personnel choices offer a glimpse of a fix Oklahoma can keep leaning on, and it is the kind of tweak fans will want to see expanded if the offense is going to settle in and protect its quarterback better. [Read more 🡒]