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NORMAN - Trent Ratterree finally has a bio in the media guide. Now he needs a scholarship. Ratterree is a walk-on tight end at the University of Oklahoma. That means he doesn't get any athletic scholarship money.
There are also other restrictions, like not getting to eat at the same training table as the scholarship players. "Yeah, there are certain rules," Ratterree said. "Honestly, if I bought meals at the cafeteria, I could. But I just choose not to." Ratterree, a former All-State tight end from Weatherford, got regular duty as the team's third tight end during his redshirt freshman season in 2008. Last year, because of injuries to Jermaine Gresham and Brody Eldridge - a couple of tight ends now in the NFL - Ratterree was forced into duty as the Sooners' top tight end. Now, Ratterree is a staple of Oklahoma's offense. "Having a couple of those guys out on the field from time to time," said offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, "really helps us with our formations and what we're trying to get accomplished." Ratterree worked hard and has developed himself from quiet, skinny, long-haired walk-on to something of a team favorite. He's added 21 pounds and can hold his own with most defensive ends or linebackers, and he's a quality pass-catcher. More than that, he's the quintessential team player. Remember last year's Bedlam game? After a teammate fumbled in the closing seconds of a 27-0 season-ending victory over the Cowboys, Ratterree ran down OSU linebacker Justin Gent from behind and stripped him of the football, preserving the shutout. Remember last year's Sun Bowl? He caught three passes for 86 yards, including a 36-yard catch and run where it looked like he got to the end zone but was ruled out of bounds. For the year, he caught 11 passes for 152 yards. Remember last month's Florida State game? Ratterree caught his first career touchdown pass, snatching a dump-off throw from Landry Jones, cutting away from one tackler, breaking through a second and plowing over a third on his way to the end zone. But Ratterree's favorite moment as a Sooner so far went almost unseen. With OU clinging to a 21-17 lead in the third quarter against Utah State, Stoops decide to go for it on fourth down, and Wilson called a DeMarco Murray running play to the left. Ratterree missed his block and his man clouted Murray as Murray reached the ball forward for a first down. "It was me who almost threw away the whole game," Ratterree said. Two plays later, Wilson called the same play. This time, Ratterree combo-blocked the defensive end, chipped the linebacker and dove to get a piece of the safety. He blocked three men on one play and Murray, with the left side of the defense cleared by Ratterree, was off on a 63-yard touchdown. "It was perfect," Ratterree said. "This is what any athlete wants: you mess the play up and coach calls it again. Because every time in your head when you mess one up, you want to go up there and talk on the headset and say, 'Call it again right now.' " As a walk-on, Ratterree and his family are on the hook for tuition and fees averaging $20,399 a year, according to collegedata.com. With a scholarship, the fourth-year junior would be rewarded for the significant team contributions he's already made, and others he soon will. The NCAA allows 25 new scholarships per year and a grand total of 85. From the Sooners' current roster, 84 scholarships are accounted for. From Ratterree's freshman class of 2007, nine scholarship recruits are no longer with the team. From the class of 2008, six have left. Bob Stoops said it's simply a question of numbers. "He's a guy that definitely will be considered," Stoops said. "He has to continue to play and be a guy that's gonna be a full-time starter." Ratterree, though, remains a team player, even where $20,000 a year is concerned. "I mean, it doesn't matter," he said. "I've been treated really well by the coaches, I'm getting to play, and that's what my dream was when I was little, to play football at Oklahoma." Up next Vs. Iowa State 6 p.m. Oct. 16 TV: FSN-27 Radio: KTBZ am1430, KMOD fm97.5 John E. Hoover 581-8384 john.hoover@tulsaworld.com SUBHEAD: Walk-on tight endRatterree is a majorcontributor for OU.
