Why everyone is betting on Brendan “Bookie” Radley-Hiles — Oklahoma’s defensive star in the making

George Stoia III • @georgestoia

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ine-year-old Brendan Radley-Hiles jogs onto the field with his team, the Reseda Bucs, trailing by 5 with just under 40 seconds to play.

His coach and older brother Brian Webb has called the perfect play, but as Radley-Hiles lines up 80 yards away from the endzone, he turns to Webb, smirks and changes the play call.

Eighty yards and a touchdown later, Webb knew in that moment his little brother was different.

“I told him, ‘You’ve got good players, great players, and then you’ve got special players,’” Webb said. “He gave me that look and took it 80 yards. That’s when I knew he was something special.”

Now, 10 years later, Radley-Hiles is already making his mark at Oklahoma, despite not playing a game yet. And that’s why his voice is not in this story, with freshmen having to earn the right to speak by playing in a game.

His infectious personality combined with his elite football skills have made him one of the most talked about Sooner players in recent history. He has a smile that can light up a room, hair that’s larger than his personality and a maturity beyond his years.

Sooner Nation has high hopes for the five-star defensive back, but few know the tale of the kid nicknamed “Bookie.”

He carries a weight on his shoulders embodied by the number over his heart, the chain around his neck and the tattoo written across his back. He’s a natural born leader who feeds off pressure and thrives in the spotlight. He chose his new home thanks to a friend’s debt and a fading coach’s advice to join a rising one. And those who know him best say he’s primed and ready to be the saving grace of the Sooner defense.

This is the story of Brendan “Bookie” Radley-Hiles.

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football has been in Radley-Hiles’ hands since he was 4 years old, joining his brothers Brandon Webb, Brian Webb and Lucky Radley, who all played football from a young age.

“We’ve always had a really strong football household,” said Brian, who now works as a real estate broker in Las Vegas. “With each stair step of a brother, we got better. Lucky was better than me, I was probably a little better than (Brandon), and Bookie is better than all of us.”

“He’s like the finishing masterpiece,” added Lucky, who’s a financial planner in Beverly Hills. “He benefited from watching us his entire life.”

Radley-Hiles was born Aug. 4, 1999. He’s the youngest of six, with his mother and older brothers and sisters raising him for the majority of his life. He was given the nickname “Bookie” — pronounced “BOO-kie” — by his mom, Brenda Radley, when he was young, with no real reason behind it.

The number on his chest, the picture on his necklace and the name on his back are a reminder of who — and why — he plays the game.

“He can look down at that number in the middle of games and know he’s not just doing it for himself,” Brian said. “He does it for all of us.”

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evin Wright stood on the sideline watching his team practice when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

“Need some water, coach?” the player asked.

The IMG Academy head coach turned around and, to no surprise, found Radley-Hiles holding a water bottle.

“That’s just the type of kid he is. That’s him being him, that’s him being real,” said Wright, who’s coached some of the best high school football players in the country. “He’s a very unselfish kid in regards to his teammates, his coaches and all the people around him.”

Wright has seen a lot of talented players come through IMG Academy, but none quite like Radley-Hiles. He’s natural born leader, and the moment he offered his coach that water, Wright knew all the stories he had heard of Radley-Hiles were true.

During Pop Warner, Radley-Hiles would call his own plays and even point out coverages. His teammates referred to him as “coach,” listening more to him than their actual coach, said Brian.

Brian recalls coaches having conversations during his practices and there was Radley-Hiles, at 9 years old, right in the middle of it, no matter the topic.

Moving schools three times was no problem for Radley-Hiles and his mom. Las Vegas was only four hours away — Brenda works as a real estate broker in both LA and Vegas — and the move to Florida was only going to make him better. By the time his senior year rolled around, making the move to Florida by himself, everyone in the recruiting world knew of the kid nicknamed “Bookie.”

“He’s never been a follower,” Lucky said. “He’s never been afraid to be different. Even if it’s not the norm, he’s not afraid. That’s what makes him stand out.”

Wright used to have to pull Radley-Hiles off the field before and after games. Kids would be chanting his name, wanting autographs, while reporters tried to get the latest insight on where he was going to go to school. Wright and Radley-Hiles’ family remember opposing stadiums having to turn off their lights so people would go home.

“He was a rock star,” Wright said. “No matter where we went around the country, he had that cult following … I’ve never seen anybody at that level have that type of following, and I think it’s because he’s real with people. He’s sincere and means what he does. I think a person’s personality reflects what they’ve been through, and for Bookie, he’s been through a lot of adversity and picked up himself.”

Today, Radley-Hiles has 66,000 Twitter and 143,000 Instagram followers — that’s more than Kyler Murray and on pace to surpass former Sooner Demarco Murray.

Radley-Hiles isn’t the typical true-freshman football player.

Wright, who has coached recent talents Bo Scarbrough (Alabama RB), Deondre Francois (Florida State QB) and Kellen Mond (Texas A&M QB), called Radley-Hiles the “ultimate competitor” 10 times in a 15-minute phone interview. He recalled all the clutch plays Radley-Hiles made during the single season they shared, but next to the water bottle scene, one other moment stood out most.

IMG was playing Venice High School, the defending California state champions. They were going right at Radley-Hiles — who is 5’9” — with a 6’3” receiver. After getting beat a couple times, Radley-Hiles came to the sideline to talk to Wright.

“I can’t wait to practice Monday so I can get better and learn from this,” Radley-Hiles told Wright.

“In the middle of a game to even think about that — that’s amazing,” Wright said. “He understands how to learn and process things to get better and improve. Not many players look forward to practice like that.”

Just months later at Oklahoma, Radley-Hiles had a similar experience with defensive coordinator Mike Stoops. He had made a mistake during practice, and Stoops let him know he needed to do better.

“He handled it way better than I did,” said Sooner linebacker Caleb Kelly. “He was like, ‘Coach, talk to me — I understand what you’re trying to tell me.’ … Bookie has a mentality where he can’t be touched. Bookie is a guy who has been through so much already, there’s nothing that you could do that would make him who he is not.”

This is what separates Radley-Hiles — it’s what makes him the type of leader everyone talks about. Now, he’ll join a team searching for defensive leaders.

He’s now on a team that features a loud Parnell Motley, an intense Kenneth Murray and a humble Kelly. Radley-Hiles brings all three — something Oklahoma hasn’t seen in the recent past.

“He’s kind of like the Pied Piper,” Wright said. “You don’t exactly know why people follow the Pied Piper, but you just know they do — but for Bookie, once you know him, you know why. He gives off this aura of wanting to be great and bringing those around him with him.”

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adley-Hiles and Brenda sat on a couch in Lincoln Riley’s 1,800-square-foot office last fall ahead of the Texas Tech game. He wasn’t supposed to be there — he was just paying a debt to his friend and IMG teammate T.J. Pledger.

He’d been committed to Nebraska for seven months, but he listened intently to the Sooners head coach. He knew the Nebraska coaching staff might make changes, but he wasn’t concerned — he was still strongly committed to the Cornhuskers. And the only reason he was in Norman was because Pledger said he’d go on a visit to Nebraska if Radley-Hiles went on a visit to Oklahoma.

This didn’t matter to Riley. He and the Sooners blew Radley-Hiles and his mom out of the water that day, along with Pledger, who also ended up in Norman. By the end of Riley’s hour-long conversation, Radley-Hiles had only one word to describe his feelings.

Goosebumps.

“You can’t fake that,” said Radley-Hiles as he showed his mom the goosebumps on his arm. “This is where I want to be.”

Radley-Hiles silently committed to Oklahoma that day, Oct. 28, 2017. He decommitted from Nebraska three days later on Halloween.

He was upfront with the Nebraska coaching staff, and they were with him, as well. Brenda recalls then-head coach Mike Riley telling Radley-Hiles after his decommitment, “If you were my son, I’d tell you to go to Oklahoma.’”

“We weren’t really interested — we were just paying (Pledger’s) debt,” Brenda said about visiting Oklahoma. “But when we got there, we were pleasantly surprised that it was everything we wanted in a school.

“I personally fell in love with Lincoln Riley and how personable he was. He was young enough to relate to the players, but was also taught by Bob Stoops. He was the best of both worlds.”

Radley-Hiles and Brenda made a pros and cons list after every college visit. They would list everything they wanted in a college, starting with the pros and finishing with the cons.

Oklahoma’s went like this:

“We fell in love with OU,” Brenda said. “There was nothing on the cons list. We couldn’t believe it.”

Radley-Hiles committed that day and never looked back. USC and Florida State recruited him hard later, but Radley-Hiles never waivered. Brenda said she was so committed herself that she sent her son’s furniture and small belongings to Norman in December.

Finally, it was time to make it official.

As his mom stood to his right, Radley-Hiles prepared to make his decision public. Four hats sat in front of him — Florida State, USC, UCLA and Oklahoma. While the rest of the country watched the Army All-American game — which showcases some of the best recruits in the country — on NBC with anticipation of his decision, Radley-Hiles had already made his decision two months ago the moment he got those goosebumps in Riley’s office.

“It’s just a great feeling, man,” Radley-Hiles told the reporter after putting on the crimson and cream hat. “The coaching staff is great people. It’s the place for me to do what I got to do and get to the league.”

Radley-Hiles knew the weight of that hat was much more than it seemed. He knew he was entering a conference that feasts on defensive backs and joining a team known for struggling in the secondary, but he doesn’t care.

“All you gotta do is put the ball in the air,” Radley-Hiles told the reporter, “I’ll take care of the rest.”

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adley-Hiles’ commitment came five days after the Sooners’ double overtime loss to Georgia, an instant classic Rose Bowl, which saw Oklahoma’s defense give up 54 points and 527 yards.

His commitment gave Sooner fans something to smile about — a reason to hope.

“There’s two things you need to know about Bookie,” Wright said. “One: he’s always going to be the most competitive guy on the field. Nobody is going to out compete him. And two: he’s going to make your locker room better. Those two things are as good as it gets. What more could you ask for? There aren’t many players that offer both. Bookie does.”

Off the field, Radley-Hiles has already started forming bonds with his teammates. He’s become close with fellow defensive backs Tre Norwood and Robert Barnes, who’ve taken him under their wing.

“That’s my brother,” Barnes said. “Since he’s been here, it’s been really me, him and Tre Norwood, along with the other guys. But I mean, Bookie’s stayed at our crib, ever since he’s moved in, really. It’s definitely like a brother atmosphere with me and him, for sure.”

Within the first five minutes of the Army All-American game, Radley-Hiles showed the type of playmaking ability he brings. The ball was thrown his way down the sidelines, and he jumped up and batted the ball into the air, which was then picked off by his teammate.

That’s who he is. He’s a ballhawk who brings big play ability to a team that only forced 18 turnovers last year. He brings a fierceness to the field like prior Oklahoma greats Tony Jefferson or Roy Williams did. He exudes confidence in his game, perfecting his craft with each opportunity.

“On the field, he can be perceived as arrogant, but he just plays with a swagger,” Lucky said. “He plays with a savage mentality on the field, but off the field, he’s different.”

Radley-Hiles isn’t just a 19-year-old kid with thousands of Twitter and Instagram followers or just a five-star recruit with loads of potential.

He’s a 19-year-old kid driven by his family’s past ready to seize an opportunity that will begin Sept. 1 when Oklahoma opens the season against Florida Atlantic.

“There’s a lot of pressure in his life, but it’s nothing he can’t handle,” Brenda said. “Some kids get nervous or whatever — he goes to work … And he’s worked his entire life for this.”