JOSH HEUPEL
By: Dave-Te' Thomas

#14-JOSH HEUPEL University of Oklahoma Sooners 6:01.2-216

ANALYSIS
Positives... Great field leader with excellent intangibles...Has a very quick release and the srm strength to consistently throw downfield...Very poised in the pocket, waiting until the last second before unleashing the pass...Accurate on slants and post patterns, doing a fine job of hitting receivers in stride...Has a very good touch on the ball and though he's not a scrambler, has shown the ability to turn his shoulders and throw on the run with pinpoint accuracy...Times his passes and anticipates the moves of his secondary receivers very well...Left-handed passer with a 3/4 delivery...Carries the ball high above the numbers and displays no windup before throwing the ball...Stands in and waits for the coverage to spread rather than forcing the ball into traffic...Has total command in the huddle...Very effective at getting the ball over the linebacker's head on swing passes...Does not take many sacks, thanks to his ability to scan the field to find alternate targets...Knows how to get velocity on his long throws, dropping it over trailing coverage with enough force for only his receiver to get to it.

Negatives... Has mediocre foot quickness past the line of scrimmage...Does not move or set up properly in the pocket, lacking the drive to get to the set-up point...Loses velocity on his long passes, mostly because he tends to throw flat-footed too much and shows a reluctance to step into his tosses...Has little slide in his step rolling out of the pocket, showing a slow reset as he tends to throw off his back foot, at times...Rarely will you see him scramble with the ball.

CAREER NOTES
Despite playing only two seasons for the Sooners, the left-handed passer served as team captain in both years...Called the hardest worker on the team by his coaching staff, Josh has compiled a 19-4 record in regular season action and guided Oklahoma to its first national title in fifteen years...In just 23 games as a Sooner, he finished his career with 590 completions of 933 passes (63.2%) for 6852 yards and 50 touchdowns, shattering the previous school career-records of 420 of 751 throws for 6142 yards and 35 scores by Cale Gundy (1990-93)...His pass completion percentage of .632 is topped only by Hugh McCullough (.642 on 109 attempts, 1937-38)...His 6898 yards in total offense broke Gundy's old Sooner all-time record of 6389 yards and his 22 games with at least 200 yards passing broke another Oklahoma record that was previously held by Gundy (11)...Began his career at Weber State, transferring to Snow Junior College as a sophomore, before enrolling at Oklahoma in 1999.

REMIND ME OF... Carolina's Steve Beuerlein.

GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL... Even though he's a lefty, Heupel has a lot of Beuerlein in him, as he makes the most out of less than impressive overall ability. He is a gutsy field leader who thinks team first, rather than basking on personal success. Teams shy away from this kid because a lack of mobility, but his recent arm woes are also scaring folks off, pushing him into the mid-rounds. What a perfect guy for a team like Green Bay or Oakland to groom as an eventual starter.

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