Best Oklahoma football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore

There is a case to be made Adrian Peterson doesn’t belong on the Oklahoma football Mount Rushmore. It has absolutely nothing to do with the talent of the running back but rather what he was unable to do in Norman due to injuries. Peterson was hindered as both a sophomore and junior for the Sooners in terms of how much he was on the field. But even then, the talent and production outweigh everything else.

Peterson showed up in Norman in 2004 and it was obvious right away we were watching a budding superstar tote the rock. He rushed 339 times for 1,925 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first collegiate season and finished second in the Heisman Trophy, coming tantalizingly close to being the first freshman to win the award.

As mentioned, injuries took their toll over the next two seasons as Peterson was limited to under 225 carries in each of the next two seasons. Despite that and even with playing in only 18 combined games, he still cleared 1,000 yards in each campaign and totaled 26 rushing touchdowns as well. He may not have been on the field often enough but, when he was, he was still elite.

Despite the injuries, Peterson is still fourth all-time at Oklahoma in rushing yards (only 77 behind first place) and seventh in career rushing touchdowns. However, his 1,925 yards as a freshman is still the single-season record for the Sooners. And when you think of the greats in Norman over the last 40 years, Peterson is part of that conversation 10 times out of 10, hence why he makes the list.