Thoughts from Big 12 Media Days
The Sooners weren’t on the scene today in Dallas, but three of their future opponents (Nebraska, OSU, Texas A&M) were.
The OU contingent of Sam Bradford, Bob Stoops, Gerald McCoy and Jermaine Gresham will be arriving at the Westin hotel Tuesday morning.
But first, here are some quick thoughts from the opening session of Big 12 Media Days.
* Nebraska may have all the history, but Oklahoma State was the main attraction today. Zac Robinson was the biggest star, and seems to have grown very comfortable dealing with being the main event. Dez Bryant was supposed to be here, but was subbed late for tackle Russell Okung, who some believe will be a top-5 pick in next year’s draft. Bryant apparently was finishing up some summer classwork in Stillwater. This is a make-or-break year for OSU, because they lose a lot of talent after this season (Robinson, Okung, Dez) and the schedule may never work out as perfectly as does for them (8 home games) this year.
* After today, I can’t decide if A&M is going to be better than people think, or worse. On the one hand, they have QB Jerrod Johnson, a nice pair of sophomore receivers in Jeff Fuller and Ryan Tannehill, and a big-time freshman running back in Christine Michael. It’s really a decent, young nucleus. On the other hand, who is A&M going to beat? Probably Iowa State at home. Maybe Baylor at home? Possibly K-State on the road? Even if they win all three of those games, they still probably finish at best 5th in the South, and possibly last depending on what Baylor does. This is a big year for A&M. They don’t need to shock the world. But if the team finishes 4-8, 2-6 Big 12 again, the future doesn’t look so bright.
* As bad as A&M may be, Iowa State clearly is the worst team in the league. They also have the league’s no-name coach in Paul Rhoads, who replaces Gene Chizik. Not a lot going for the Cyclones, even in the mediocre North Division. For Sooner fans, keep an eye out for David Sims, who is expected to start in ISU’s defensive backfield. Sims, remember, committed to OU out of junior college last year, but for academic reasons never made it to campus, eventually lost his offer, then found a new home in Ames.
-JT
-
- Nebraska coach Bo Pelini
-
- Aggie coach Mike Sherman
-
- OSU QB Zac Robinson
Super Sam leads the All-Big 12 team
Today, the league released its All-Big 12 team and Sam Bradford led the way as the preseason offensive player of the year. In all, eight Sooners made the team, the most of any Big 12 school. OSU had 5, Texas had 4 and very surprisingly Baylor was fourth of any Big 12 team with three players, not including having the pick for newcomer of the year in DT Phil Taylor, a transfer from Penn State.
Quickly, here’s a look at the team:
OFFENSE
WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
OL Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
OL Trent Williams, Oklahoma
C Chris Hall, Texas
OL Adam Ulatoski, Texas
OL Brandon Carter, Texas Tech
WR Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas
QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma (Off. player of the year)
RB Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
RB DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
PK Alex Henery, Nebraska
KR Perrish Cox, Oklahoma State
DEFENSE
DL Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska (Def. player of the year)
DL Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma
DL Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma
DL Sergio Kindle, Texas
LB Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri
LB Joe Pawelek, Baylor
LB Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
DB Darrell Stuckey, Kansas
DB Jordan Lake, Baylor
DB Dominique Franks, Oklahoma
DB Earl Thomas, Texas
P Derek Epperson, Baylor
PR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
Analysis: My preseason ballot was very similar to the final team, which makes me comfortable about my selections. I’ll get to those in a second. There was no one from OU that deserved to make the team that didn’t, in my opinion, with the possible exception of Chris Brown. But where do you put him? Kendall Hunter has to be on the list. So that would mean Brown would have to replace Murray. Personally, I voted for Brown over Murray, and here’s why: Murray is more of an all-purpose player than a running back. He returns kicks, punts, catches passes in addition to running the ball. Brown, meanwhile, is strictly a running back, and a terrific one at that. He had better rushing numbers than Murray last year. If there was an all-purpose slot on this team (like there is on the postseason team) I would’ve put Murray there. Plus, Murray is coming off surgery, while Brown has been healthy.
Anyway, here’s what my ballot looked like:
OFFENSE
WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
OL Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
OL Trent Williams, Oklahoma
C Chris Hall, Texas
OL Adam Ulatoski, Texas
OL Brandon Carter, Texas Tech
WR Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas
QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma (my Off. player of the year)
RB Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
RB Chris Brown, Oklahoma
PK Alex Henery, Nebraska
KR Jordan Shipley, Texas
DEFENSE
DL Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
DL Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma (my Def. player of the year)
DL Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma
DL Colby Whitlock, Texas Tech (I originally voted for Tech’s Brandon Williams, but then he declared for the NFL’s supplemental draft for some reason)
LB Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri
LB Sergio Kindle, Texas (he was chosen as a DE, but I had him as a LB; if I had to pick another LB, I would’ve gone with either OSU’s Andre Sexton, OU’s Keenan Clayton or Baylor’s Joe Pawelek, who was the one voted to the actual team)
LB Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
DB Darrell Stuckey, Kansas
DB Jordan Lake, Baylor
DB Dominique Franks, Oklahoma
DB Perrish Cox, Oklahoma State
P Derek Epperson, Baylor
PR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
I chose OU WR Cameron Kenney as my newcomer of the year, because I think he’s going to catch more than 40 passes this season from Bradford. But I can see why Phil Taylor was selected as well. The Suh-McCoy argument is sort of a toss-up, and I went with the homer pick. I thought that C. McCoy had a chance to beat out Bradford for Off. Player of the Year, but Bradford prevailed and more voters agreed with me.
-JT
Hannan turns up at Texas State
Former Oklahoma center Jason Hannan, who decided to transfer this past spring, has landed at Texas State, an FCS school located in San Marcos, Texas.
Hannan, remember, was in a two-way battle this last spring with freshman Ben Habern for OU’s vacant starting center spot. Habern was running with the first team early on, and not long after, Hannan told coaches he was transferring.
According to the San Marcos newspaper, Hannan in large part decided on Texas State because of former TSU quarterback/receiver, Chase Wasson, who transferred to Oklahoma two years ago.
“We were roommates for a semester at Oklahoma and he told me about Texas State. I wanted to be a little more close to home, so I decided to come here,” Hannan told the paper.
Hannan, formerly rated the No. 1 center nationally coming out of Waxahachie, Texas, gives Texas State a big-time piece on its offensive line.
He will have three years left of eligibility in San Marcos.
* Two games to watch: I was watching First Take on ESPN yesterday, and the panelists, Skip Bayless and Scoop Jackson, were asked if they could go to any college football game this season, which would they go to. Skip, a native of OKC and self-proclaimed Sooner supporter, chose the Red River Rivalry, saying it might be the biggest OU-Texas game of all-time.
Jackson, who apparently has hopped on the OSU bandwagon, earlier declaring Zac Robinson his Heisman sleeper, said he’s driving to Norman for the Bedlam game, predicting that both teams could be undefeated for that one.
None of this matters, although it goes to show, we may be in store for an amazing season of college football in this state.
* Finally, Mustang offensive lineman and Sooner commitment Bronson Irwin, who I interviewed earlier this summer, recently picked up his fourth star from Rivals.com and is now rated the No. 10 offensive guard in the nation.
-JT
Big 12 Media Day lineup revealed
Over the weekend, the Big 12 announced which players will be attending Big 12 Media Days in Dallas, July 27-29.
No surprises from Norman.
Bob Stoops will bring his three best players, QB Sam Bradford, TE Jermaine Gresham and DT Gerald McCoy.
Here is the entire Big 12 media lineup:
Monday, July 27
* Nebraska: Head Coach Bo Pelini, RB Roy Helu Jr., C Jacob Hickman, DT Ndamukong Suh
* Oklahoma State: Head Coach Mike Gundy, Assistant Head Coach Jason Jones, QB Zac Robinson, LB Andre Sexton, WR Dez Bryant
* Iowa State: Head Coach Paul Rhoads, QB Austen Arnaud, OL Reggie Stephens, DL Nate Frere
* Texas A&M: Head Coach Mike Sherman, players TBA
Tuesday, July 28
* Missouri: Head Coach Gary Pinkel, LB Sean Weatherspoon, NT Jaron Baston, OG Kurtis Gregory
* Baylor: Head Coach Art Briles, Defensive Coordinator Brian Norwood, QB Robert Griffin III, FS Jordan Lake, LB Joe Pawelek, C J.D. Walton
* Kansas: Head Coach Mark Mangino, QB Todd Reesing, WR Kerry Meier, DE Max Onyegbule
* Oklahoma: Head Coach Bob Stoops, QB Sam Bradford, DT Gerald McCoy, TE Jermaine Gresham
Wednesday, July 29
* Kansas State: Head Coach Bill Snyder, players TBA
* Texas Tech: Head Coach Mike Leach, OL Brandon Carter, CB Jamar Wall, DL Colby Whitlock
* Colorado: Head Coach Dan Hawkins, Associate Head Coach Brian Cabral, TE Riar Greer, LB Marcus Burton, LB Jeff Smart
* Texas: Head Coach Mack Brown, players TBA
By Jake Trotter
Bell earns Elite status
Sooner QB recruit Blake Bell, the Wichita standout, can add another level of accomplishment to his stud status.
Elite 11 quarterback.
Bell is among 12 quarterbacks picked to participate at the EA Sports Elite 11 camp.
As for the math, 12 QBs/Elite 11, it must require some newfangled calculator. Or the 11 stands for something beyond the number of players in the mix.
But the consensus is that Bell belongs.
Here’s the take of ESPN’s Tom Luginbill on Bell:
“Bell’s physical measurables (6-foot-5, 212 pounds) and upside are enormous. He did not have a great regional workout, but his tape does not lie. He’s been a starter at quarterback for only one season — he was an All-State wide receiver prior to that as a sophomore — but there are lots to work with here.”
Bell will be among some premier QBs at the camp, working alongside, among other touted signal callers, Nick Montana, Joe’s son.
The experience should be invaluable, not only as a checkpoint to measure himself with the nation’s best, but the instruction there is outstanding.
– By John Helsley
Bradford was with who?
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford was hanging out with another former Sooner quarterback recently.
Not Jason White. Not Josh Heupel.
Not Paul Thompson and not Nate Hybl.
Bradford was recently seen at Bungalow, a rooftop lounge above Joyce Champagne Lounge in Dallas.
His companion there, according to the entertainment reporter Alan Peppard of The Dallas Morning News, was former Sooner quarterback Rhett Bomar.
One year after Bomar was kicked off the Sooners’ team for an NCAA rules violation, Bradford became OU’s record-setting quarterback.
Bomar recently signed a 4-year deal with the New York Giants.
What could they have been talking about? Your guess is as good as mine.
By Jake Trotter
Clay and Finch highlights
We have more video of Brennan Clay and Roy Finch on the way. But here’s a peak at some video of the two blue-chip running backs who committed to Oklahoma in June.
Roy Finch (No. 24)
Brennan Clay (No. 15)
By Jake Trotter
Thoughts from Tulsa
Here are some quick thoughts from attending Thursday’s annual OU caravan in Tulsa, which was headlined by Bob Stoops:
* Not that it should come as a surprise, but clearly, the play of the offensive line will determine how good this team is, in Stoops’ mind. Remember, Stoops called out the line for a lack of consistent work ethic before spring ball. But he said Thursday they made good progress in the spring.
“They had a great spring, but that’s the spring. It’s another five months (after the spring) before they start the season, so we’ll see what they’re able to do until then.
“In the end, it gets back to their accountability and what kind of effort and discipline they’re going to have throughout the year and how they work and what kind of shape they come back in. There’s a lot of potential there. They could be a really good unit but it still needs to be developed and it still needs to show over and over in a more consistent way.”
* The point was brought up about Kevin Wilson’s impact on the spread offense nationally, to which Stoops said, the focus should be on Wilson’s ability to adapt to OU’s personnel in recent years. And he’s right.
The Sooners have gone to an under-center passing team with Jason White, to a power running team with Adrian Peterson, to a shotgun team with Sam Bradford that still was able to utilize the talents of Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray. All three offenses produced Big 12 titles.
* Dom Franks was the player the caravan chose to bring along. I’ve thought he was destined for stardom since the 2008 spring game when he picked off 3 passes. Look for him to have a big year, both at corner, and in the return game. A first-team All-Big 12 player this year.
* Stoops really lauded the leadership of this team. Not just the guys coming back who could’ve left for the NFL Draft, but guys specifically mentioned by Stoops like Brody Eldridge, Chris Brown, DeMarco and Matt Clapp. Stoops said widespread leadership is a unique characteristic with this squad.
* DeMarcus Granger’s ability to contribute this year coming off back surgery is a big question mark. Stoops said he still hasn’t been cleared by the medical staff, and now we’re looking at the season beginning in just over two months. Granger proved he can play through pain, but back surgery is not something you can just power through. Can he make it back and be a contributor as a backup? Yes. Is it likely to happen for the opener against BYU? We’ll see.
* OU landed a huge commitment Thur. night in Torrea Peterson, a d-tackle out of San Antonio with offers from the likes of USC, LSU and Texas. He is considered a 3-star prospect at the moment, but I see him being a Top 100 guy when updated recruiting rankings come out. Peterson is said to be a distant cousin of Adrian Peterson.
* On a football-related note, OU got a women’s hoops commitment from the daughter of former Dallas Cowboy great, Jim Jeffcoat. Jacqueline Jeffcoat is a 6-foot-2 forward. Why is this football related? Well, one of the nation’s top-5 football recruits for the class of 2010 is Jacqueline’s brother, Jackson, a 5-star defensive end out of Plano, Texas.
OU is in the running to land Jackson along with Texas and USC. Certainly, Jacqueline heading to Norman doesn’t hurt OU’s chances of landing Jackson as well. Nor does the fact that Jim now works under former Sooner assistant Kevin Sumlin at Houston as the Cougars’ d-line coach.
For a glimpse, take a look at this video of Jackson (No. 42)
By Jake Trotter
Special teams depth chart updated: Stevens the starter at kicker
Jimmy Stevens will enter the fall as Oklahoma’s starter at place-kicker, according to OU’s updated depth chart, which included special teams listings, released Wednesday.
The 5-foot-6, 159-pound product of Heritage Hall High School, however, could have a battle waiting for him in the fall from Norman North walk-on Bryce Easley, who is arriving on campus this summer. Junior-college wide receiver Cameron Kenney (a former soccer player who kicked in high school and at Garden City Community College) and punter Tress Way will also get their shots at the job as well.
Speaking of punter, Way is listed as the starter there, which is no surprise. Way struggled some in the spring game, but has a big leg. Again, Kenney and Easley could press here, if Way’s struggles continue into the fall.
Junior cornerback Dom Franks and sophomore receiver Ryan Broyles are listed as the team’s punt and kick returners.
Broyles averaged 9.9 yards a punt return and scored a TD at Kansas State last season, but wasn’t part of the kick return team. Franks handled only six punt returns and didn’t return a kick last year, but showed his playmaking potential with a pair of defensive TDs (a pick against Nebraska, and a fumble return at Texas A&M).
Running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray, running back/receiver Mossis Madu and Kenney will all also be part of the return game, though Bob Stoops would like to limit Brown and Murray in that role because of injury risks.
Veteran Carter Whitson, out of Shawnee, will be the holder again. Walk-ons James Winchester and Ben Hampton are listed as the top-two deep snappers in that order, but don’t forget about Derek Shaw, who has been the team’s deep snapper the last three years but was plagued last year with a foot injury.
By Jake Trotter
Former OU lineman joining Tide
Alabama has hired Milton Overton, a former Oklahoma offensive lineman who oversaw technology growth and services for seven years at Texas A&M, to its senior executive staff, the school announced today.
To read more about Overton, read the Birmingham News report.
Overton played for OU in the mid-1990s.
By Jake Trotter
