OU Names Four Football Captains For 2016 Season

Oklahoma head football coach Bob Stoops announced on Monday evening that quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Samaje Perine, linebacker Jordan Evans and safety Ahmad Thomas have been named the four team captains for the 2016 season. 

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"These four guys have been excellent leaders for us on and off the field and represent our program in an extremely positive manner with the example they set every day," said Stoops. "They also have a great pulse of the team and will govern everyone in a positive way."

The selections come as no surprise, seeing all four guys were the Sooners' player representatives at Big 12 Media Day back in late July. 

After finishing fourth in Heisman voting last season, Mayfield is one of the best players in the nation and will look to build on his 3,700 yards and 36 touchdown performance from last year. The junior seemed to energize the Sooners' last season and is now one of the team's vocal leaders.

"The passion that he has from being a walk on to now, you can just see the chip on his shoulder," receiver Geno Lewis said of Mayfield at OU Media Day. "He doesn't take anything for granted, he goes out there and plays each and every day and you can see it in his play. I'm just thankful to have somebody like that I can go out to battle with."

As the Sooners' other offensive captain, Perine takes a different leadership approach with a more reserved personality, but he lets his performance on the field do the talking. Perine ran for 1,349 yards and rushed for 16 touchdowns last season, and the junior only needs 1,056 more yards to tie Billy Sims as OU's all-time leading rusher. It would be quite an accomplishment for the physical runner, but apparently Perine's more focused on team success. 

"Samaje's such a unique kid in that way, that's not really what he's all about," running back's coach Jay Boulware said. "He's really all about the team, we don't even talk about that. That hasn't come up in our room one time."

On the defensive side of the ball, Evans is the Sooners' returning leading tackler and will be a force at the linebacker position after totaling 7.5 stops per game last season. With the early departure of Dominique Alexander to the NFL, Evans will shoulder more of a role on defense and will be relied on to make big plays next to a new starter at inside linebacker. 

Thomas will be the other Sooners' defensive captain after earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors last season while playing both free safety and strong safety. Thomas totaled 75 tackles and three interceptions last year while emerging as one of the Sooners' most reliable players.