There were theories as to why Jalen Hurts was named the starting quarterback by Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley on Monday afternoon.

It’s his experience. It’s because he decided to transfer from Alabama to OU. It’s because the other guys in the race are too young.

Theories, but Riley laid down the truth Tuesday evening. Simply put, Hurts was just a little bit better than redshirt freshman Tanner Mordecai and true freshman Spencer Rattler.

“I just thought he was just slightly better here as it went on,” Riley said. “Probably the closest one we’ve had since I’ve been at Oklahoma, I would say for sure. It was a good battle, without a doubt. And I think will continue to be a very competitive room.

“Just based it purely on performance. Not going to sit here and break it down. He was just a little bit ahead. This was the time to do it.”

As clear cut as Riley was about why he selected Hurts, he left zero doubts as to how the rest of the quarterback depth chart will look for the Sooners heading into next Sunday’s opener vs. Houston.

Mordecai will begin as the backup, with Rattler as the third guy.

“Tanner Mordecai did a phenomenal job, made a lot of big plays during camp,” Riley said. “Spencer Rattler showed early control and playmaking ability that’s pretty rare for someone his age. You certainly get excited about those two and the bright futures that they both have for this 2019 team and beyond.”

The future is now for Hurts, though, looking to show the world what type of quarterback he can be under Riley’s guidance.

The tone of camp has been as Mordecai and Rattler flashed brilliance at times, Hurts was Mr. Consistent throughout camp. Taking care of the football, executing the offense, it was Hurts doing all things valued by Riley in his offense.

“Jalen, his down days, when maybe he wasn’t his best, those were better than the other two right now at this point,” Riley said. “With the guy’s experience, that’s not surprising. Again, experience didn’t make a factor in the decision. It showed some that even not at his best, he was still playing at a pretty high level.”

Riley spoke last week about how tough it had been to evaluate the day-to-day grind, using the off days as moments when he could break it all down.

That’s what happened here. Following OU’s scrimmage Sunday to close out the preseason camp portion of the schedule, Riley was able to dive in and figure it all out.

“So I would say I certainly wasn’t real settled on it until after our scrimmage the other day and having a chance to have a little time with the guys away, and go back and look through the film and reset thoughts,” he said. “Then was ready to make the decision then.”

Despite Riley saying this was the closest competition he’s had in Norman, it also marked the earliest occasion for him to make the move. Riley was right in picking Baker Mayfield over Cody Thomas and Trevor Knight in 2015, and Kyler Murray over Austin Kendall worked out pretty well last year.

Hurts is the guy, but Riley is pleased with how the rest of the room has reacted since.

“It’s always one fun conversation and a few not-fun conversations, that’s how those go. But they all handled it well,” Riley said. “They certainly did. Tanner handled it well. He’s probably more motivated than he was before, which if you’re a true competitor, that’s what you’re going to do. And I would expect nothing less of him. And I feel the same way kind of about Spencer, too.

“I know we’ve got three guys in there that no doubt can go play and play extremely well right now.”