2010 Super Early OU Preview: Linebacker

OU has the most turnover at LB than anywhere else on the defense with Reynolds and Clayton graduating. Doing the LB review is a little tough because it's hard to know which way Venables takes the defense.

2010 Super Early OU Preview: Defensive Line

OU loses some familiar faces from their DL with 3 year starters Auston English and Gerald McCoy graduating/leaving for the NFL. This will give OU a different look on the defensive line and should herald the arrival of some of the biggest recruited names into the Sooner lineup.

• QB (1): Blake Bell 6-6, 230, 4.7
• RB (2): Brennan Clay 6-0, 190, 4.45  Roy Finch 5-8, 180, 4.45
• WR (5): Justin McCay 6-3, 204, 4.5   Kenny Stills 6-1, 180, 4.35  Sheldon McClain 6-3, 185, 4.5  Joe Powell 6-0, 185, 4.5  Trey Franks 5-9, 185, 4.3
• TE/FB (2): Austin Haywood 6-5, 245, 4.7  Trey Millard, 6-3, 250, 4.7
• OL (5): Austin Woods 6-4, 290, 5.0 OC  Adam Snead 6-4, 310, 5.2 OG  Bronson Irwin 6-5, 310, 5.2 OG  Darryl Williams 6-5, 280, 5.0 OT  Tyrus Thompson 6-6, 310, 5.1 OT
• DT (4): Daniel Noble 6-4, 280, 4.9  Torrea Peterson 6-4, 290, 4.9 Damon Williams 6-5, 320, 5.1  Eric Humphrey 6-4, 275, 4.75
• DE (2) : Chuka Ndulue 6-4, 245, 4.7, Geneo Grissom 6-5, 230, 4.6
• LB (3): Rashad Favors 6-2, 225, 4.5  Garrett Lake 6-2, 210, 4.5  Aaron Franklin 6-2, 210, 4.5
• CB (2): James Haynes 6-1, 185, 4.35  Aaron Colvin 6-0, 185, 4.5
• Safety (3): Tony Jefferson 6-0, 195, 4.5  Julian Wilson 6-1, 185, 4.35  Quentin Hayes 6-1, 185, 4.4

OU 2010 Super Early Preview- Offensive Line

With OU's massive problems here last year, I figured that an OL preview needed to be it's own article. OU has lost their two best OL players in Trent Williams and Brian Simmons, but returns a host of players who started or played in several games last year. Since there are not many flex players in the OL, I'm going to focus my preview by position.

OU 2010 Super Early Preview- Offense- Skill Positions

Doing this before signing day is probably asking for trouble, but with Spring dates announced and NFL early entry period over it's time to do a small amount of pre spring 2010 previewing. I realize that signing day is 3 weeks away, but OU has 28 verbals, so other than a JUCO OL or Jackson Jeffcoat things are about done. And based on any late news from signing day, I'll update this preview.

So it looks like Pete Carroll is heading out of town right before the NCAA arrives in town to hit the Men of Troy where it hurts most (remember any football penalty will be amplified due to the Basketball program's indiscretions).

Everyone is wondering the obvious since it's January, what does this mean for recruiting?

Let's review the possible kids for this year that it might impact

Kyle Prater WR 6-5, 210 Illinois. Prater could decide that he no longer wants to be a Trojan. If he opens his recruiting back up, OU could be a possible school of interest, but far more likely is that Brian Kelly at ND will get a very early present. Prater is a mid term so any change will have to be quick. Now, I have been told that the Prater family continues to talk to OU. So things could get interesting, remember OU has one mid term ship left so OU could take Prater while leaving 2 ships still out there.

Recruiting Update 1/7:

OU has just received verbals from two Dallas area DTs

Eric Humphrey 6-4, 275, 4.8 Dallas, TX Parish Episcopal

Damon Williams 6-5, 320, 5.1 Irving, TX Nimitz HS

These two huge DTs pickups put OU at 28 verbals (5 midterm- Stills, Jefferson, Irwin Woods, McClain), so just two verbal slots left. Before going into some detail on what the two DTs bring to the Sooner class let's recap OU's current verbals by position

Special Teams/Coaching 2009 Recap

Special Teams

This will be short and sweet.

Tress Way was ranked 3^rd in the nation in punting (OU’s punt coverage was also excellent 5^th nationally in net punting). In fact, Way’s punting pretty much won the OSU game, and saved OU on any number of occasions.

Last year, OU’s kickoff coverage basically cost them the Texas game and was a season long abomination. This year the coverage was vastly improved with only one TD (KState’s Brandon Banks) and was ranked 27^th in the nation and massive improvement from their 102^nd in the nation ranking in 2008.

2009 Defense Season Recap

While it was best to details the breakdowns at each position on offense (since every position pretty much had issues), on the defensive side of things were a lot more stable.

OU was in the top ten of almost every defensive category including  #8 Rushing Defense, #7 Pass Efficiency Defense, #8 Total Defense, and finally #7 Scoring Defense (compared to last year's ranking of  57^th), and the all important get the offense off the field 3^rd down conversion percentage OU was ranked 8^th (compared to 39^th last year)

Statistically this was the best Sooner defense since 2001 and tied with the 2000 defense in several areas.

2009 Offense Season Recap

A season that started with such promise ended as quickly  with one play in the new JerryWorld Death Star Stadium . Sitting in the stands when Sam got crunched, it was literally watching a nightmare unfold. Now, I've seen Sooner QBs go down in games in my short history being a Sooner fan, I was unfortunately there for Jamelle's knee versus OSU in 1987. I saw Jerome Brown break Troy Aikman's leg in 1985. I even was there when Charles Thompson broke his two legs against NU in 1988 (didn't realize at the time that would be CT's last play as a Sooner). I was even there for Jason White's second knee injury against Bama in 2002.  But this injury seemed very different. It was the first game, and you knew that OU's backup was completely green, and OU had a very tough schedule facing them.