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UNPLANNED PATH AND THREE OU DEGREES HAVE CALEB KELLY POSITIONED FOR SUCCESS
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Amid the largest comeback in Red River Showdown history, Caleb Kelly made one of the biggest plays of the day.
Oklahoma receiver Marvin Mims had just pulled off a miraculous catch and toe-tap to tie the game for the first time. On the ensuing kickoff, Kelly stripped the ball away from Texas return man Xavier Worthy, sending the already roaring crowd into a frenzy when he emerged from the pile with the ball held high.
The very next play, Kennedy Brooks gave OU its first lead, 48-41, on an 18-yard rush. The Sooners overcame a 28-7 deficit to win 55-48 that October day in Dallas, and Kelly’s strip became the latest in a career peppered with major plays in important stages.
It was an incredible moment for the sixth-year senior out of Fresno, Calif., but he had to fight to even be on the field. Kelly battled injury the final few years of his time at OU, missing all but four games in the 2019 season and losing the entirety of the 2020 campaign to knee injuries. He worked hard to be ready to play in 2021 so he could make big plays like the one versus the Longhorns.
“The individual plays I made, there’s been a bunch of big ones, at the right times it always seemed like. I became known for that a little bit, those big game-changing plays,” Kelly said. “We’ve won a lot of games and won a lot of championships. It’s been a blessing.”
This year’s OU-Texas game wasn’t the only time the former five-star recruit made his name known on a big stage. The scoop-and-score against TCU in the Big 12 championship in 2017, a fourth-quarter forced fumble that Steven Parker returned for a touchdown in the College Football Playoff semifinals (Rose Bowl) against Georgia and another scoop-and-score the next season in a narrow win at West Virginia are just some of the highlights of his Oklahoma career.
He was part of a historically successful run at OU, winning five Big 12 titles, appearing in three CFPs and claiming Sugar and Cotton Bowl titles over his six years with the program.
Kelly came to Norman as a consensus five-star linebacker and was easily the highest rated recruit in his OU signing class. He was the first five-star defender the Sooners had landed in seven years and was touted as a sign of good things to come for the OU defense. With all of the hype came expectations, not just from the fans but from Kelly himself.
“When I came here, I thought this was just a stop for me on the road to getting to the league,” said Kelly. “I planned on being three (years) and out. So when I’m still here in year six, it definitely was not part of my thinking when I was in high school.”
Those plans would have to change when his playing career came to an end after he sustained his third knee injury while covering a punt against Baylor in November. Despite the setback, Kelly maintained a positive attitude and chose to shift his focus to the future.
“Honestly, I think I found myself as a man rather than an athlete,” said Kelly. “Having those things separated whenever you're injured is really humbling. Now I still have all these different opportunities coming, and it's because of who I am, rather than what I do.”
Just two days after his injury in Waco, Kelly reached out to his former coach Bob Stoops about joining FOX Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff” show that was traveling to OU’s campus the next weekend.
That Saturday, Kelly made his national broadcasting debut in front of thousands of cheering Sooner fans. When host Rob Stone introduced the California native to the country, Stone declared that “an end is just a new beginning,” and Kelly made the most of his new opportunity.
He was an instant hit on the set and he says his phone has been ringing off the hook ever since. Networks and news stations from California to Oklahoma and beyond are now inquiring about his services with “a different offer almost every day” coming his way.
What the future holds for Kelly remains to be seen, but he has been preparing himself for the next step throughout his time at OU. He will walk away from Norman with three degrees in just five-and-a-half years’ time; a bachelor’s degree in communication in May 2019, a master’s in administrative leadership in December 2020 and a Master of Business Administration degree that he received this past weekend. He was even named to the 2021 Academic All-Big 12 First Team to top it off.
“I mean, it was definitely a grind,” said Kelly, laughing. “Other people might have folded, but my mindset was always focused on finishing. I signed myself up for it, I had to complete it.”
Beyond the classroom, Kelly has been, as Stoops described, “a shining light” in the Oklahoma community. He has been student president of the local chapter of the FCA for four years, volunteered at the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital and was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his time spent working with Sooners for Haiti, the JD McCarty Center for children with special needs and other organizations.
While his next chapter might take him elsewhere, Kelly knows he always has a place in Norman.
“It’s still home for me and it became that because of the people – because of the opportunities and the care that people had for me when I was down,” Kelly said. “Honestly, I think it took a few injuries, acceptance and different pains to notice how much love, appreciation and great people were around me. I think OU started out as a pit stop, but it became a home for me.”
Oklahoma receiver Marvin Mims had just pulled off a miraculous catch and toe-tap to tie the game for the first time. On the ensuing kickoff, Kelly stripped the ball away from Texas return man Xavier Worthy, sending the already roaring crowd into a frenzy when he emerged from the pile with the ball held high.
The very next play, Kennedy Brooks gave OU its first lead, 48-41, on an 18-yard rush. The Sooners overcame a 28-7 deficit to win 55-48 that October day in Dallas, and Kelly’s strip became the latest in a career peppered with major plays in important stages.
It was an incredible moment for the sixth-year senior out of Fresno, Calif., but he had to fight to even be on the field. Kelly battled injury the final few years of his time at OU, missing all but four games in the 2019 season and losing the entirety of the 2020 campaign to knee injuries. He worked hard to be ready to play in 2021 so he could make big plays like the one versus the Longhorns.
“The individual plays I made, there’s been a bunch of big ones, at the right times it always seemed like. I became known for that a little bit, those big game-changing plays,” Kelly said. “We’ve won a lot of games and won a lot of championships. It’s been a blessing.”
This year’s OU-Texas game wasn’t the only time the former five-star recruit made his name known on a big stage. The scoop-and-score against TCU in the Big 12 championship in 2017, a fourth-quarter forced fumble that Steven Parker returned for a touchdown in the College Football Playoff semifinals (Rose Bowl) against Georgia and another scoop-and-score the next season in a narrow win at West Virginia are just some of the highlights of his Oklahoma career.
He was part of a historically successful run at OU, winning five Big 12 titles, appearing in three CFPs and claiming Sugar and Cotton Bowl titles over his six years with the program.
Kelly came to Norman as a consensus five-star linebacker and was easily the highest rated recruit in his OU signing class. He was the first five-star defender the Sooners had landed in seven years and was touted as a sign of good things to come for the OU defense. With all of the hype came expectations, not just from the fans but from Kelly himself.
“When I came here, I thought this was just a stop for me on the road to getting to the league,” said Kelly. “I planned on being three (years) and out. So when I’m still here in year six, it definitely was not part of my thinking when I was in high school.”
Those plans would have to change when his playing career came to an end after he sustained his third knee injury while covering a punt against Baylor in November. Despite the setback, Kelly maintained a positive attitude and chose to shift his focus to the future.
“Honestly, I think I found myself as a man rather than an athlete,” said Kelly. “Having those things separated whenever you're injured is really humbling. Now I still have all these different opportunities coming, and it's because of who I am, rather than what I do.”
Just two days after his injury in Waco, Kelly reached out to his former coach Bob Stoops about joining FOX Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff” show that was traveling to OU’s campus the next weekend.
That Saturday, Kelly made his national broadcasting debut in front of thousands of cheering Sooner fans. When host Rob Stone introduced the California native to the country, Stone declared that “an end is just a new beginning,” and Kelly made the most of his new opportunity.
He was an instant hit on the set and he says his phone has been ringing off the hook ever since. Networks and news stations from California to Oklahoma and beyond are now inquiring about his services with “a different offer almost every day” coming his way.
What the future holds for Kelly remains to be seen, but he has been preparing himself for the next step throughout his time at OU. He will walk away from Norman with three degrees in just five-and-a-half years’ time; a bachelor’s degree in communication in May 2019, a master’s in administrative leadership in December 2020 and a Master of Business Administration degree that he received this past weekend. He was even named to the 2021 Academic All-Big 12 First Team to top it off.
“I mean, it was definitely a grind,” said Kelly, laughing. “Other people might have folded, but my mindset was always focused on finishing. I signed myself up for it, I had to complete it.”
Beyond the classroom, Kelly has been, as Stoops described, “a shining light” in the Oklahoma community. He has been student president of the local chapter of the FCA for four years, volunteered at the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital and was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his time spent working with Sooners for Haiti, the JD McCarty Center for children with special needs and other organizations.
While his next chapter might take him elsewhere, Kelly knows he always has a place in Norman.
“It’s still home for me and it became that because of the people – because of the opportunities and the care that people had for me when I was down,” Kelly said. “Honestly, I think it took a few injuries, acceptance and different pains to notice how much love, appreciation and great people were around me. I think OU started out as a pit stop, but it became a home for me.”
