Preseason camp is over, which means it’s time to really get ready for the season. Oklahoma will do so with Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback for the season opener, announced by head coach Lincoln Riley on Monday afternoon.

Hurts, a graduate transfer from Alabama, won the three-man battle against redshirt freshman Tanner Mordecai and true freshman Spencer Rattler.

All signs were pointing toward this announcement from the second Hurts let the world know he was headed to Norman back in January. Although it felt like the worst-kept secret, Riley stayed consistent in saying he wasn’t going to just hand the job to Hurts.

As camp progressed, Riley said there would come a time where he would be able to fully evaluate and make the call. With the Sooners wrapping up preseason camp Sunday and an off day Monday, it was the perfect chance for Riley to make the move.

Hurts was 26-2 as a starter for the Crimson Tide and was a part of Alabama’s 2017 national championship team. He rushed for 23 touchdowns and threw for 48 more, accounting for 7.602 yards of total offense.

Replaced as starting quarterback by Tua Tagovailoa before the 2018 season, Hurts came in and led the Tide’s comeback victory against Georgia in the SEC Championship game to remind people of what he is capable of accomplishing.

People think of Hurts, and automatically think about his abilities as a physical runner. The goal, it has seemed, is for him to show what he can do as a passer in a Riley-led offense.

In that regard, Riley said Hurts continues to make strides with each practice.

“I’ve said a bunch, passing at times is hard to evaluate,” said Riley last week. “I mean, there's a lot that goes into being, an accurate passer or effective passer at this level. You know, everybody thinks it's just being able to throw the ball where you want to, and there's, you know, understanding protections, understanding footwork, understanding route concepts, being able to make decisions fast, you know, and then and then obviously, at that point, being able to throw it the way you need to.

“So for him it's been more mental. His arm is very, very capable, both from a strength and an accuracy standpoint. That's not an issue with him. It's just been learning our stuff. And certainly in that regard there's no question he's made a big jump.”

Riley has been consistent in making this week, the week before the initial game, as the time to announce the quarterback move. He did so in 2015 with Baker Mayfield and last year with Kyler Murray. That worked out pretty well for OU. Riley is hoping for the same with Hurts.

The Sooners, ranked No. 4 in the preseason polls, open up vs. Houston next Sunday night.