PreSeason Outlook (8/10/2010)

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1. Can the projected OL starting unit actually go through camp and make it to the Utah State game?

Here’s the projected lineup. Mensik/Jarvis Jones- RT Tyler Evans – RG Habern- C Stephen Good- LG Stephenson – LT.

Loyal readers who followed last year's Texas All-Garbage Team have no doubt noticed another rash of UT football shenanigans in the past few months. We at TaW thought it was long overdue for an update, a "where are these douchebags now?" segment, if you will.

So where do you start reviewing a Spring practice period that was mostly held in completely secrecy like some NSA black ops project? Well you piece together what you can from videos/interviews/spring game/other reports.  So did anything happen this spring?

Positives

1.     Offensive Line: I know, I know, OU fans are completely unable to buy into any more OL hype until the OL blocks someone consistently this fall.  But there were a number of positive storylines for the OL this spring.

a.     Good winter offseason conditioning for the OL with Corey Brandon, among others taking up a leadership role. Leadership was a massive problem last year for the OL in general leading to a lot of the issues.
b.     Donald Stephenson coming off academic probation had an excellent spring validating Bob's comments that Stephenson might be the most talented OL the Sooners have.
c.      Both Jarvis Jones and Ben Habern were able to return for the bulk of spring much earlier than anticipated for both players. Jones is making a real push at OT to start if Stephenson or Brandon fall back at all. The Sooners monitored Habern closely all spring, but he had a very solid spring game, and looks ready to take back his starting center spot.
d.     Stephen Good and Tyler Evans have seemed to lock down the starting guard positions, and due to the improved depth situation were allowed to focus on those positions all spring.
e.     The move of Gabe Ikard to OL seems like a good fit. Ikard will need to get bigger/stronger to play OL full time, but Ikard provides key depth at OC/OG.
f.      Early enrollee freshman Bronson Irwin and Austin Woods had solid springs according to the coaches, and the full offseason and spring should accelerate their development. Irwin is threat to not redshirt, while OU would like to redshirt Woods to get a little distance between Woods and Habern/Ikard at center.
g.     While not dominating, in both the first scrimmage and the spring game, the OL showed that it could generate some yards rushing and give Landry time needed in the passing game.  The spring game in particular the OL looked significantly better than they did last spring when they pretty much got manhandled by the Sooner defense. Now I realize that Taylor's hurt and McCoy's gone, but that's still Jeremy Beal and Frank Alexander attacking.
h.     Other than an MCL sprain for Eric Mensik, the OL got through spring in relatively good health (Good's spring game injury was simply an ankle sprain).
i.       Starting OL right now is:

• • LT: Donald Stephenson
  • LG: Stephen Good
  • OC: Ben Habern
  • RG: Tyler Evans
  • RT: Corey Brandon/Jarvis Jones

2.     Improved QB play by Landry Jones: Landry had a solid end to the year with an excellent bowl game (if not for his only mistake OU might have blown that game wide open early) and has carried that momentum through spring. Landry had a very solid spring game throwing for over 200 yards and couple of TDs. His completion percentage was lower than you would like (he was victimized by some drops), but Landry also had zero interceptions.  In the highlights, Landry's clearly made progress in extending plays and in avoiding negative plays.  In addition, Landry appears to have improved his accuracy while on the move.  The gap between Landry and Drew appears to be pretty wide, so there's no QB controversy in Norman this spring.  OU's offense this fall will go as far as an improved OL and Landry Jones can take it.

3.     The Californians are coming. If Brennan Clay can have the kind of impact that his San Diego teammates have had already, then OU should definitely keep recruiting San Diego. Kenny Stills has taken advantage of OU's relatively thin numbers at WR and OU's new double practice scheme to really jump start his Sooner career. Stills looks like he might be the WR playmaker to take advantage of the massive attention Ryan Broyles is sure to receive this fall.  Tony Jefferson was battling a more crowded field at safety this spring, but Willie Martinez is already talking up his potential at SS/SAM Nickel LB. From the buzz on both kids this spring, I'd be stunned if either kid redshirted.

4.     Willie Martinez at DB coach: OU's defenses were always at their best when Brent was roaming the sidelines with Mike. OU's never really found a real DB coach to replace Mike that synced with Brent. Early signs indicate that OU may have found that guy.  Martinez really became the scapegoat at UGA for a team with a lot of different issues inconsistent offense giving up a lot of turnovers,  3 years of OL problems, no pass rush from the DEs, talented but underperforming DTs, and finally average LBs.  He may end up being an excellent DB coach who is just not a defensive coordinator.

5.     LB Core: BV now has 6 LBs who can play a nice interchangeable mix of positions. Travis Lewis looks ready to take over the mantle of leadership on defense, and perhaps take his LB game to the next level. The Sooners have been using Ronnell Lewis in a variety of roles, and it's doubtful that you will see Ronnell leave the field. Tom Wort is back from his knee injury early, and should be ready this fall to prove why he almost played at LB last year. Joseph Ibiloye has carried over the momentum of his freshman year and looks to start in the Clayton role or at SS depending upon what type of offense OU is facing. Finally, Jayden Bird, Daniel Franklin and Austin Box are providing depth and competition.  Despite the loss of Reynolds and Clayton, it's entirely possible that the LB position could be better than last year.

6.     Defensive Backs: At this point, Jamell Fleming is playing CB at a level that is letting OU leave Jonathan Nelson at Safety. So OU has a starting backfield of Hurst, Fleming, Nelson, and Carter. Fleming might continue what has become an annual trend of late blooming DBs in recent years, players essentially written off or thought to be recruited over (Quinton Carter, Brian Jackson, Jonathan Nelson). Marcus Trice spent most of spring at CB where he's an ideal nickel/dime CB to counter slot WRS/4 WR looks. Javon Harris, Tony Jefferson, Gabe Lynn, Kevin Brent, and Lamar Harris are all providing depth at DB. Along with the flexibility at LB, OU's secondary appears to have the necessary pieces to matchup with a variety of offenses.  Considering OU had to replace 2 starting CBs, the secondary appeared to be in good shape.

Neutral

1.     Defensive End: Beal and Alexander are holding down this position. Not much noise here at all. David King was hurt. RJ Washington didn't seem to take advantage of King's absence and lock down the 3^rd DE spot.

2.     Running Back: OU was very cautious using Demarco Murray at all this spring. Jermie Calhoun had a big first scrimmage, but has been bothered by an ankle injury since then. Marshal Musil had a very good spring game in a big back role (he played Toby Gerhart on the scout team for OU's bowl game), and walk on former Lawton HS product Dominique Whaley had some nice runs.

3.     Jaz Reynolds and Dejuan Miller had moments this spring, but didn't have big spring games.  Both kids improved but not to the degree that they won't be tested by the influx of WR talent.

4.     TE position: This position started spring in the negative column, but there were signs of life in the scrimmages and in the spring game. James Hanna's been making plays in the scrimmages as a receiver, and in the spring game James Ratterree had a couple of nice catches. Lane Johnson massive frame at TE is still a work in progress, but he looks like he could be a factor down the road.  Still to steal a quote from a message board thread, there's no Jermaine Gresham's out there. This position is still wide open for Austin Haywood this fall.

5.     Defensive Tackle: OU misses Adrian Taylor inside, so let's hope that his rehab from injury goes well. Jamarkus McFarland had a great early part of spring, and had a good spring game. Casey Walker provides some run defense, but not much playmaking. Stacey McGee shows some pass rush ability but still needs to get stronger versus the run. Justin Chaisson's move to DT will pay off for OU but for it to be this fall he's going to have to add some size and strength, he got kind of worked in the spring game at times by the OL. Walk on Drew Serruto got a bunch of reps in spring, not sure if he will be a factor this fall or not. Defensive tackle is definitely a place where a motivated in great shape freshman can provide some competition and depth. Best guess to repeat my recruiting wrap up, Eric Humphrey at 3 technique or Torrea Peterson who can play either DT spot.

Negatives

1.     Kicking Game. This is purely based on the spring game due to the other scrimmages being closed. FG kicking looked awful in the spring game. O'Hara had a FG blocked, then missed a mulligan attempt. Stevens hit 3 FGs, one bounced off the upright to be good, and the other two were low wobbly, hooking left kicks. I seriously doubt if any of them would have good in a real game they were so low, I'd imagine every one of them would have been blocked. Easley was doing kickoffs and having a hard time getting it beyond the 15 yard line.  OU's woes here have cost OU badly the last two years. It's like Garrett Hartley stole every once of kicking skill away from Norman to make that overtime kick for the Saints.

2.     Bob's draconian blackout policy in spring is hurting interest in the program. OU barely had 16k at their spring game. Now the weather plays a role, but so does Bob locking out fans from attending scrimmages, not putting up videos of practices on Soonersports.com, and limiting the press' access to practices. Without access, the press is just going to write about something else.  If he had his choice, I bet Bob would kill the spring game outright.  Now, I'll be honest our offense in spring games is usually so vanilla that it's hard for me to imagine that any rivals can really gain any real insight from the game being on TV. If Saban can allow his game to be on ESPN, then why won't Bob let the game be televised or at the very least streamed over the net if he is worried about someone having a copy of the game for scouting purposes. I just don't see how this secrecy is leading to any real competitive advantage on the field.

Spring Practice Update #2

Well OU returned from Spring Break and actually held their first scrimmage of spring. Unfortunately, the event was locked down better than a Black Ops mission, so I don’t have stats or actual full reports. But gleaned from message board traffic and scrimmage highlights here goes.

1. The improved buzz on the OL continues to stay strong. OL apparently provided running room and time for Landry during the scrimmage. Starting OL was

• LT: Donald Stephenson- so far proving Bob right that last year he was as talented as anyone other than NFL top 20 pick Trent Williams
• LG: Stephen Good- healthy again.
• OC: Brian Lepak (but Habern is back from foot injury and looks good. Just a matter of health stopping Habern from retaking the Center job)
• RG: Tyler Evans- great offseason
• RT: Eric Mensik – clearly has added weight to his frame (Corey Brandon was basically first team as well)

2. Taking advantage of said improved OL blocking was Jermie Calhoun who had a number of nice runs. All reports indicate Calhoun is having a great spring, and with Jonathan Miller’s absence due to injury is doing his best job to lock down the number two RB spot.

3. Starting front seven on defense appeared to be

• DTs: Jamarkus McFarland, Stacey McGee (Walker and Chaisson were in there as well. Heavy rotation of DTs)
• DEs: Frank Alexander and Jeremy Beal (but saw RJ Washington in with the 1s as well)
• LBs: Mike: Ronnell Lewis, Will: Travis Lewis, SAM: Joseph Ibiloye (Wort is fully back from injury. He was in there with the first team defense as well)
• CBs: Demontre Hurst and Jamell Fleming (2nd team CBs were Lamar Harris, Gabe Lynn, and Marcus Trice)
• Safeties: Quinton Carter and Jonathan Nelson (2^nd team hard to tell but Kevin Brent, Tony Jefferson, and Javon Harris were all getting reps)

4. Signs of life at TE finally. Lane Johnson looked solid in the blocking game, matched up against Beal and Alexander. In addition, James Hanna had the play of the scrimmage with a 70 yard TD catch and run. Until this scrimmage, the news on the TE position had been non-existent.

5. Kenny Stills continues to impress at WR, and is a real threat for major playing time this fall. If anyone breaks the Sun Bowl trio of Miller, Broyles, and Reynolds it will be Stills. It was a pretty windy day for the scrimmage so the passing game was hampered a little. Some drops by Dejuan Miller and Cam Kenney, overall Jaz Reynolds probably had the most consistent day from the WRs. (It’s not clear how much Broyles played if at all).

6. It’s really impossible to tell anything on how well Landry Jones and Drew Allen are doing. All I can say is that the word that I’m hearing is that Landry looks to have built off the momentum of bowl practice and his bowl performance to end any thought that he won’t start at QB. He looks improved in his reads/timing, and is leading the offense.

7. I’ve got nothing on the FG kickers or punters or return game guys.

Bleacher Report recently is posting a series of speculative articles about programs that will struggle in the future.  Now TaW let the article about the top 15 programs that will dominate future recruiting pass by without comment,  even though the article didn't mention OU.  However, now Bleacher Report has decided that OU will be a program that will struggle to recruit in the future. The argument is laughable at best.

Listing OU here is not just speculative but shows how writer Bryan Kelly has done no homework whatsoever. OU consistently over at least the last 25 years has recruited regionally/nationally and had many great players from in state. No matter how much evidence is presented, the myth that OU is totally reliant upon Texas players won't go away. OU has always had great players from Texas and will continue to recruit well in Texas. Under Bob, OU has always made their living on recruiting top Texas talent, and those players have not always been the Top 10 in Texas five star kids (Derrick Strait, Jimmy Wilkerson, Jonathan Jackson, Jeremy Beal, Clint Ingram, Trent Williams, Adrian Taylor, Travis Lewis, Brandon Everage). A small amount of research would show that OU while recruiting heavily in Texas, also gets their top players from other locations.

OU Spring Practice Week One Recap

It's only been one week and OU only practiced twice with an OU pro day stuck in between, and now OU is off for a week with spring break

Now I am not going to pretend that I have a lot of news and it's spring so things are going to be almost overwhelming positive.  But it's not like we have Sooner men hoops to watch so really we're down to obsessing over spring practice notes.

1.     OL looks to be in great shape. Donald Stephenson based on practice video/pictures might be the captain of the Sooner First Off the Bus team.  He's 6-6, 300 and looks like Amare Stoudemire. It's clear athletically why Bob called Stephenson OU's most talented offensive lineman (Bob said Stephenson was only behind Trent Williams talent wise). Stephen Good looks to be great shape. And Corey Brandon had a good offseason earning praise from Bob in becoming a leader for the OL. The OL looks improved claim is so hollow at this point, I almost don't want to say it.  But the OL looks to be in much better overall shape than last spring. Eric Mensik has added some weight to his frame and should provide competition at both tackle spots. Both Ben Habern and Jarvis Jones are moving around pretty good in practice, but not in uniform yet. Gabe Ikard really looks like an OL player. It's easy to imagine that move becoming permanent, and he will provide some real competition at center. Starting OL looks right now to be;

• LT: Donald Stephenson
• LG: Stephen Good
• OC: Gabe Ikard (OU will be very cautious with Habern's rehab. Probably asking too much to expect Habern to reclaim this spot in Spring)
• RG: Tyler Evans (once healthy I think that Jarvis Jones could win this spot later in Spring)
• RT: Corey Brandon

2.     Jonathan Nelson right now is at safety. Ever since the bowl game, when projecting an OU starting lineup Nelson had been slotted to start next to Demontre Hurst at CB. However, through two practices, Nelson is staying at safety. New DB coach Willie Martinez seems heavily involved with the CBs grouping trying to assess what he has. Marcus Trice has been working out with the CBs and appears will be given a shot at winning the other CB spot. OU has some young depth at CB in Hurst, Trice, Lamar Harris, Jamell Fleming, and Gabe Lynn.  Now a starting duo of Trice and Hurst would be a smaller CB pair than we have seen previously under Stoops, at least one CB has always been a bigger CB.  To date, the safeties have not been shown as a group practicing, so it's impossible to draw any conclusions there other than Quinton Carter and Jonathan Nelson are starters.

3.     At DT, Justin Chaisson looks like he has put on really good weight, and is up 275. He's getting a lot of reps and with Adrian Taylor out looks to be competing heavily with Stacey McGee for playing time. Based on how they are rotating, McFarland is first team DT, and he's been paired with both Chaisson and McGee in drills.  It's a huge opportunity for the young DTs this spring to get some distance from the DTs enrolling in August. AT DE, the obvious duo of Beal and Alexander are starting. RJ Washington appears to be next in the rotation. As Venables mentioned previously Jarrett Brown could end up being a factor at DE, and from drills he looks like a Frank Alexander type elite athlete.

4.     At LB, Tom Wort is sporting a new Mohawk and appears to have added some weight to his frame. I figure he's probably in the 225/230 range right now. Starting LBs right now which is probably pretty meaningless appears to be Ronnell Lewis, Travis Lewis, and Joseph Ibiloye. Venables has been talking about playing Ibiloye at safety some, but so far he's been in LB drills from what I can see. Doesn't seem possible, but Ronnell Lewis looks even bigger than the bowl game. He might easily be 6-3, 245/250. Venables is already talking about playing Lewis at LB and also in a Rush End/Spinner kind of role.

5.     There almost no real news at QB and RB. As expected Murray is the first team RB and Jermie Calhoun is the backup. I've seen nothing of Landry Jones or Drew Allen. Landry could be looking like Joe Montana for all the QB action we have seen.

6.     Newcomers at WR are Kenny Still and Sheldon McClain. Stills looks pretty light, and could definitely add some strength/weight. McClain also looks pretty thin, but McClain looks more like 6-4 than his listed 6-2, height questions aside McClain appears to have recovered from his knee injury suffered during his senior year. To date, no real action from the TE position yet, no footage of how Lane Johnson is adjusting to TE or how James Hanna looks this spring.

Bob held his Pre Spring Practice Press Conference today

Some news and notes (TaW staff editorial comments are in paraphrases):

- Great winter workout by team (Contrary to popular opinion, Bob doesn't always say that.)

- Ben Habern and Jarvis Jones back after Spring Break. (This is huge news for OL development. Both players were presumed to be out until Summer)

- Gabe Ikard and Eric Mensik are going to be getting a lot of reps at OL. Ikard at guard and center. Mensik at OT. (Their absence leaves a huge opportunity for JUCO transfer Lane Johnson and James Hanna. Johnson is a big TE target with speed and Hanna has a chance to take over the position. Both players need to impress the coaches before Haywood and Millard arrive)

- Bob feels that the WRs play in the Stanford game was a huge positive heading into the offseason. (Bob means the rotation of Reynolds, Broyles, and Miller)

- Bob really thinks that Gabe Ikard will be a contributor next season. Either interior OL or at blocking TE. (might allow Mensik to stay at OT and still provide a power running game from a two TE look)

- OL, unlike last winter, was a very strong group in conditioning and working out. Corey Brandon becoming more of a leader.

- DT Justin Chaisson at 275 already. Will add more good weight down the road. (Chaisson's frame can easily hold 285-290 with great mobility. He was 285 at Under Armour game last year and dominated)

- Stephenson was the 2nd most talented OL on the roster last year, behind Trent Williams. (His loss due to academics was huge.)

- LBs. Ronnell - SAM/MIKE/WILL,  Wort- MIKE/WILL,  Ibiloye- SAM,  Austin Box- SAM/MIKE/WILL

-  Ryan Broyles won't return kickoffs. Demarco might return kickoffs again.

-  Coach Wright to be in charge of special teams

-  Ryan Reynolds working in the football office.  No room right now for a grad assistant. He wants to get into coaching.

-  Pro Day happens tomorrow. (Jermaine Gresham, Dominique Franks, Brian Jackson, Trent Williams, Keenan Clayton, No Sam)

1. Justin Chaisson is going to be moved to DT for spring. Chaisson who was already 260 will look to get to around 275 for spring, and has a frame that could easily carry 285 to 290. Chaisson ability to get on the field at DT is far quicker than at DE. Chaisson would bring the kind of explosive speed (consistently timed at 4.7 at around 270) to OU's 3-technique DT position that the OU defense needs. Stacey McGee is really the only other 3 technique DT right now, so Chaisson could get considerable reps this spring. Moving Chaisson to DT also provides more depth at the 3 technique this spring until Eric Humphrey arrives in August. To recap, here are the current OU DTs and their best positions (I'm mixing some terminology here so please bear with me)
Adrian Taylor- 1 gap/3 technique (he's played both)
Jamarkus McFarland - 1 gap/3 technique
Casey Walker - 1 gap
Justin Chaisson - 3 technique
Damon Williams- 1 gap
Daniel Noble - 1 gap
Eric Humphrey- 3 technique
Torrea Peterson - 1 gap/3 technique ( I keep calling him an Adrian Taylor clone)

Top 20 Players who could have breakthrough seasons in the Big 12. In the way of some context, generally a player who is a Sophomore/Junior who could contend for All Big 12 honors or more

QB- (Clearly the bar for being a breakthrough QB is tougher than at other positions. Garrett Gilbert was close to this list, but with only one start who knows what UT has at QB)

• Blaine Gabbert 6-5, 230, MU – Gabbert had very productive first year as a starter with over 3500 yards passing but the TD total was low (24) and INT number was kind of high (9). In addition the Missouri spread requires a high completion percentage than 59%. Gabbert will miss his key WR, Danario Alexander, but there are enough other options returning for Gabbert to be successful. If Missouri wants to win the Big 12 North, they need Gabbert to take that next step.
• Landry Jones 6-4, 220, OU – Landry’s first year as a starter had highs (ATM/KU/Bowl game) and deep lows (NU, Texas Tech). Clearly, an inconsistent WR core, no TE game, no running game didn’t help Landry’s adjustment to being the starter. Landry’s got to cut down on the turnovers and improve his accuracy and timing (late on throws). The Stanford game showed a different Landry and vastly improved WR core. If Landry continues to improve in his fundamentals (and QBs so far do nothing but improve under Heupel to date) and OU surrounds him with better weapons , Landry could be the difference in OU regaining control in the Big 12 South.
• Tyler Hansen 6-2, 205, CU – It’s really simple, Hawkins job is in Hansen’s hands. Hansen once he took over from the younger Hawkins provided a higher level of play at QB. Hansen provides more mobility and a hint of QB run game. Hansen needs a consistent running game from Rod Stewart and another WR to complement Scotty McKnight (Michigan transfer Toney Clemons could be that WR).

Pre-Spring Top 20 Impact Freshman

Going into the Spring the following Redshirt Freshman/Early Enrollee Freshman/True Freshman who could impact the Big 12 this season