Lincoln Riley: Caleb Kelly strip fumble was 'extra special'

Oklahoma linebacker Caleb Kelly was one of a number of heroes in the latest version of Red River Showdown for the Sooners. He had a critical strip of Texas freshman wide receiver Xavier Worthy late in the game, which ended up being a game-changer in the heart-stopping 55-48 win for Oklahoma.

Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley raved about his redshirt senior and how happy he was for him after the game.

“The guy’s a baller, man. Guys a gamer. I don’t care what side of the ball, he’s out there you feel better. Just because you know you’re going to get a smart, tough physical player that is going to give you everything he has on every snap,” Riley said. “What a huge play that was, an unbelievable play. Really, really special.

“I know here in his last one with everything he’s been through, to make that play for the team. Would of obviously been happy if anyone make it, but to see Caleb do that, that was extra special.”

Kelly has suffered two major knee injuries during his six years with the Sooners — once in the spring of 2019 (torn knee ligament) and once in fall camp of 2020 (torn ACL). He was able to come back and play in four games in the 2019 season, but missed the entire 2020 season due to the ACL tear.

The former five-star prospect was the lone five-star recruit in Oklahoma’s 2016 recruiting class. He started 19 games at outside linebacker for the Sooners during his freshman (2016) and sophomore (2017) seasons.

In 2018, he was slotted at inside linebacker by the Sooner coaching staff, but he was beaten out by Curtis Bolton for the starting spot. Halfway through the season, Kelly was moved back from inside linebacker to outside linebacker by the coaching staff, and he started five games.

In those five games, he made 14 tackles for the Sooners. One of his most critical plays came against West Virginia, when he came up with a loose ball and returned it for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter of the game. He also notched a career-high 14 tackles against the Mountaineers. Oklahoma would go on to win the game 59-56 and the win earned the Sooners a spot in the Big 12 Championship.

With all the adversity he’s faced in his football career, he easily could have hung up his cleats and retired due to his injuries or getting benched, but he stuck with it, and that’s made all the difference in the world.

Since this is his sixth year on campus in Norman, he hasn’t let that time go to waste. Kelly has already earned his Master’s Degree in Administrative Leadership. The former five-star prospect is also currently pursuing his Master’s in Business Administration.

Kelly has forever cemented himself in the hearts of Sooner fans due to the pivotal fumble recovery in the Red River Showdown. He’s enjoying his time in the spotlight and even made a photo montage recently trolling Texas after the big win.