Oklahoma quarterbacks are taking over rosters all across America.
Former Sooners backup General Booty is the latest to make the news, apparently having won the starting QB job at his new school, Louisiana-Monroe, per a tweet Wednesday night from Matt Zenitz of 247Sports.
Louisiana-Monroe is set to name Oklahoma transfer General Booty its starting quarterback, a source tells @247sports/@CBSSports.
ULM opens the season against Jackson State before matchups against UAB and Texas.https://t.co/g2Kbwdvj1C pic.twitter.com/bmKAqeMhtG
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) August 22, 2024
Booty was an OU reserve for Brent Venables’ first two seasons as he served as one of Dillon Gabriel’s backups. Booty entered the transfer portal in May after participating in the Sooners’ annual spring game, and he landed at ULM.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Booty appeared in one game each of the past two seasons after transferring in from Tyler Junior College. In his freshman season at Tyler, Booty led the NJCAA with 3,410 passing yards at a 61 percent clip with 27 touchdowns, leading Tyler to a 7-5 record and Heart of Texas Bowl win.
Booty played high school football in Allen, TX, but his famous football family — wide receiver Abram Booty, quarterback Josh Booty, and quarterback John David Booty — hail from Shreveport. General Booty’s dad, Abram, played wide receiver at LSU, while uncle Josh played quarterback for the Tigers. John David went on to play at USC.
Booty put his interesting name to good use with a nice NIL package endorsing underwear, and also donate 20 percent of his NIL revenue to the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital.
OU QB @Generalbooty10 is a 3rd-gen football player. Beyond passing down football skills, he credits his family as a great example of giving back, which is why General is dedicating a percentage of his NIL earnings to Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health. https://t.co/REytHXO3aW pic.twitter.com/u0MZ1vBs07
— Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health (@Okla_Childrens) August 19, 2022
Booty previously explained in a statement why it was a priority for him.
“My family has been a really good example to me my whole life, and we talked about the importance of giving back,” Booty said. “I have a special place in my heart for kids, so after my visit there, I knew Oklahoma Children’s Hospital would be where my support would go.”
Booty’s website is where fans can purchase shirts, hats and other items featuring his brand “MTJN,” which stands for More Than Just a Name.
“Ever since I was a young kid playing quarterback, my name has grabbed a lot of attention,” Booty says on the website. “I’ve always tried my best on the field and off to give people a reason to remember my name. Based on the recent court’s ruling allowing Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, I wanted to use my name to support a great cause. Saying that, I am proud to announce my partnership with Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health.”
Booty, a walk-on at OU, was essentially third string behind Gabriel and Davis Beville in 2022 and worked alongside Beville behind Jackson Arnold in 2023.
He was in the portal for about two weeks before landing at ULM.
“Excited to go to work with my new teammates at The University of Louisiana Monroe,” Booty posted on Twitter. “I’m coming home!”
Excited to go to work with my new teammates at The University of Louisiana Monroe! I’m coming home! @ULM_FB pic.twitter.com/7eWm4h8qY3
— General Booty (@Generalbooty10) May 15, 2024
Booty ran a 32-yard touchdown to help the Sooners’ offense defeat the defense in the annual Red/White Spring Game in his final appearance in a Sooners jersey on April 20.
As an unrated recruit at Allen (TX) High School, Booty passed for 2,235 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushed for 401 yards and nine scores his senior year.
The OU quarterback room has been completely remade since Venables took over following Lincoln Riley’s departure in December 2021. Spencer Rattler (South Carolina) and Caleb Williams (USC) transferred, and walk-ons Micah Bowens, Ralph Rucker and Ben Harris all resumed their college football careers elsewhere. Venables’ first QB commit, Nick Evers, transferred to Wisconsin and now plays at Connecticut. This offseason, Beville, who joined the team after Venables’ first spring in 2022, transferred to South Carolina — it was announced earlier Wednesday that he had earned a scholarship — and Booty went to ULM as Arnold has taken the reins in Norman.
Arnold’s backups at OU are now freshman Michael Hawkins, sixth-year senior Casey Thompson and freshman Brendan Zurbrugg, as well as preferred walk-on Steele Wasel.
Gabriel, meanwhile, is considered a Heisman front-runner at No. 3-ranked Oregon.
